Hong Kong, China and a footballing dilemma
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On 1 January, Hong Kong beat China in a football game for the first time in almost 30 years. The name of Hong Kong's team changed in 2023 and has led to speculation that the days of an independent football scene in the former British colony are numbered. Hong Kong's latest win over China is not their greatest, as that came in May 1985 when a 2-1 victory in World Cup qualifying shocked 80,000 fans at the Beijing Workers' Stadium. Before that match, Hong Kong sang God Save the Queen as their anthem. Football has become an arena in which Hong Kong's liberal democratic history and the authoritarian traditions of the mainland have clashed. Football's importance became apparent after the 2014 Umbrella Movement, a series of pro-democratic protests in Hong Kong. In 2015, Hong Kong hosted China in a World Cup qualifier and some home fans booed their own anthem, leading to fines by Fifa. In 2020, Hong Kong's legislature passed a bill that criminalized disrespect to the anthem. Three months later, the 83 sporting associations in Hong Kong were told to add "China" to their names or risk losing funding. The current leadership of the Hong Kong Football Association still sees China as an opportunity. The dilemma for the HKFA is if it is to remain a separate entity, it will have to make itself useful to Beijing. The addition of the word "China" to Hong Kong's name may be a sign of assimilation and the eventual loss of independence.
#HongKong #China #Football #Independence #Anthem #Protests #Fifa