The first major event in Hong Kong football for the Year of Monkey ought to be the Lunar New Year Cup without a doubt. The annual football event will take place this year on the 8th February, with a mouth-watering triple-header on deck for the local football fanatics.

The first game of the day will see Hong Kong Women 80s clashing against Hong Kong Women 90s, while the second game will be an interesting battle between Hong Kong Classics and Foreign Player Classics. Rounding out the festivities will be the feature match of the day, a highly charged affair between the in-form Hong Kong Representative Team and the Hong Kong League XI.

Hong Kong Representative Team’s Hui Ka-lok, who has enjoyed a promising first half of the premier league season, is excited about the prospect of rubbing shoulders against the foreign imports in Hong Kong League XI. “The Lunar Year Cup is a spectacle for local football and it is a tremendous honour to be selected to the Hong Kong team,” Hui commented. “Hong Kong League XI has a lot of quality players and their strength is undeniable. I certainly expect them to be a very tough foe for Hong Kong. On the other hand, while I might have a few BC Rangers teammates on the other team, there will definitely be no love lost on match day and we will be gunning for a victory.”

Wong Tsz-ho, one of Hong Kong Representative Team’s newcomers, admitted his surprise on getting called up for the Lunar New Year Cup but declared his readiness to give everything to his team. “Hong Kong’s training sessions are very upbeat and I have to work extra hard just to keep up with the pace. This is a valuable opportunity for me in the Hong Kong side and I am just trying to stay hundred percent focused and soak up as much experience as possible,” Wong said.

Experienced battler Kenji Fukuda will spearhead the attack for Hong Kong League XI. Despite having players from different premier league clubs as teammates, Fukuda believes it will not hinder his team at all. “It is my real honour to play for the Hong Kong League XI,” the Japanese striker stated. “This is my first time facing Hong Kong and the feeling is a bit strange for me. However, I am always playing to win and while this might be a very difficult challenge, we are going all out to try to defeat the opponent.”

Midfielder Yoon Donghun could not hide his excitement on having the opportunity to play for Hong Kong League XI in the Lunar New Year Cup. “First and foremost, I need to thank God and The Football Association of Hong Kong, China for the chance to take part in the Lunar New Year Cup,” said the Southern Korean. “I really enjoy playing with the other quality foreign players and while we might be coming from different premier league sides, we seem to have a very good understanding and require only a quick-look to find out what the others are up to. That is why I am very confident that we can overcome Hong Kong in the feature match and take home the Lunar New Year Cup.”