Following the failure of the Taiwanese soccer authorities to extend the one-year deal of national team head coach Gary White, he was unveiled as the new coach of Hong Kong on Monday.
“Gary joins us with a wealth of experience at the international level having previously managed four senior national teams, his knowledge of football in Asia was also a factor we took into consideration in making his appointment,” a press release quoted Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) chief executive Mark Sutcliffe as saying. “I wish him well and call upon all football stakeholders in Hong Kong to get behind the new head coach and work with him to achieve the success we all crave.”
The 44-year-old former professional player thanked the HKFA for giving him the opportunity.
“It is an honor to lead the Hong Kong team and I am very motivated to improve, progress and develop the team,” White said. “I have been in the opposite dugout a few times and I can see the potential in the players, especially some of the younger guys coming through. The lead-in time to the first matches is short and I am looking forward to getting started on this challenging role.”
White is to spend his first few weeks assessing the players and meeting the clubs, the HKFA said.
He is to take charge of two international matches next month against Thailand and Indonesia, before leading the team into the East Asian Football Federation second-round qualifiers in November, in which they face Taiwan on Nov. 14.
Since signing a contract with the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) in September last year, White led the national team to seven consecutive home wins, the most recent a 2-0 victory over Malaysia on Friday last week.
Three years ago, the team was ranked 182nd out of the 211 FIFA member associations, but in the latest rankings, released last month, Taiwan had jumped to No. 125.
The CTFA has yet to issue a statement explaining why it refused to renew White’s contract or to announce who is to take over as head coach.
Taiwan won a back-and-forth match at the Unions Cup in Singapore yesterday, but the hosts claimed the trophy due to a better points differential over the tournament. Singapore’s players celebrated with the cup, despite losing a match in which they seized the lead three times, but ultimately fell to a 19-16 defeat. Their points advantage was due to their strong opening game against the other team in the competition, Thailand, who they beat 30-8 on Saturday last week. Taiwan narrowly lost to Thailand on Tuesday and went into yesterday’s match facing a steep challenge. They responded well, opening the game with sustained pressure
An “outstanding” 17-year-old Chinese badminton player died of cardiac arrest after collapsing on court during a tournament in Indonesia, officials said yesterday. Zhang Zhijie was playing a match late Sunday against Japan’s Kazuma Kawano at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The score was 11-11 in the first game when Zhang fell to the floor between points. The teenager received treatment at the venue and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, but passed away later that night after repeated efforts to resuscitate him failed. “Medical conclusions ... indicated that the victim experienced sudden cardiac arrest,” Broto Happy, spokesman for
A buzz of excitement crackled through the hushed arena as the rider gripped the reins of her stuffed steed. Welcome to the strangely exacting world of hobby-horsing, the Finnish sport guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Immaculately coiffed equestrians leap athletically over fences just like in horse jumping, going as fast as they can against the clock straddling their stick steeds. Things are more stately in the dressage, with riders trotting their stick horses with intricately decorated stuffed heads before the discerning eyes of the judges. About 260 riders from 22 countries — most women and girls aged 10 to 20 —
Taiwan’s men’s national basketball team is set to upgrade its depth in the paint after signing Brandon Gilbeck of the P.League+’s Formosa Dreamers to a naturalized player’s contract. The 27-year-old big man from the US landed in Taoyuan early on Monday, where he was welcomed by Chinese Taipei Basketball Association deputy secretary-general Chang Cheng-chung. The two signed the deal, which still has to be approved by the Sports Administration and the Ministry of the Interior. Chang said he is confident that “the proceedings would go smoothly.” If approved, Gilbeck would become the third naturalized basketball player in Taiwan, following the New Taipei Kings’ Quincy