Lee Man complete quarantine amid stalled campaign

Title chasers Lee Man hoped their domestic campaign would not be affected after the team completed a mandatory 14-day quarantine yesterday.

Following their defeat in the AFC Cup semi-finals by hosts Nasaf in Uzbekistan late last month, the Hong Kong Premier League side were required to go through the mandatory isolation period before they took part in domestic competitions.

“It’s just like the preseason when players get together after a long break,” said coach Chan Hiu-ming.

“They have to pick up again, physically and mentally, even though it was only 14 days in isolation.

“During the pandemic, there have been many studies on the risk of injuries when players return from quarantine. We must treat it with great caution.”

While half of the eight Premier League clubs – such as Eastern and Kwun Chung Southern – have already played three matches of the new season, Lee Man, who finished third in the standings last season, have yet to kick off their campaign due to their regional cup engagement.

Their first match against HK U23 in the Sapling Cup on Sunday has also been postponed due to the short preparation time, but it is not known whether their first league match against defending champions Kitchee on November 21 would go ahead as scheduled.

“We of course want the match to be delayed as it’s always a tough game against Kitchee – the more preparation time, the better,” Chan said.

“But we also know the Football Association has a lot of considerations before they reschedule a match … We’ll see.”