Head coach Jorn Andersen has criticized Iran’s Football Association for showing Hong Kong “no respect” ahead of Thursday’s World Cup qualifier in Tehran.
Norway’s Andersen raved about the training pitch available to his team after they arrived on Tuesday, saying it was the worst he had seen in four decades at the top of professional football.
Hong Kong already had a lot of work to do against opponents ranked 21st in the world. But Andersen, who is without a single key player for the match, said the task of his 150th squad had become even greater after initial preparations were compromised.
“I have 40 years of experience in professional football and I expected the Iranian Football Association to respect us when we came here for a World Cup qualifier,” Andersen said.
“We wanted to train twice in Iran, in preparation for a very difficult competition. We hoped that we would have a training field where we could actually train.
“(On Tuesday) they offered us a training pitch where we couldn’t play football. That’s not respect.
“If we don’t train, how can we be prepared? This is my first time in Iran, I respect Iran, but… they didn’t respect us.”
Andersen was due to oversee a practice session at the match venue – the 78,000-capacity Azadi Stadium – on Wednesday evening before finalizing his team for the opening Group E match.
Security ‘will protect us’ for the World Cup match in Iran, says the Hong Kong footballer
Security ‘will protect us’ for the World Cup match in Iran, says the Hong Kong footballer
He will have to do it without Brazilian-born trio Everton Camargo, Helio Goncalves and Fernando, as well as Sun Ming-him, who was part of the Hong Kong under-23 team that embarrassed Iran in the quarter-finals of the recent Asian competition. Games.
And it is that victory in Hangzhou that offers a glimmer of hope for Andersen, who was nevertheless realistic about his side’s chances of matching the performances of their young counterparts.
“This is a different Iran team, it’s much stronger,” Andersen said.
“There is a big gap between Iran and Hong Kong. But there was also a big gap between the under-23 teams in the rankings.
“We saw what was possible with the right team, tactics and motivation.
“We will have a clear game plan. We know Iran has great players, but we are here to try to get a good result.”
Andersen said prickly 23-year-old BC Rangers midfielder Lam Hin-ting was eligible to start because “he’s mentally good, he’s a hard worker and against Iran you need players like this”.
Shinichi Chan, meanwhile, is one of only three players – Yapp Hung-fai and Matthew Orr, the others – from the starting line-up when former coach Mixu Paatelainen’s team lost in Iran in June 2021, which is likely to start this week.
“There is a big difference between Jorn and Mixu,” Chan said. “Jorn has brought better results and more aggressive football.
“We are not here just to show up, we want to bring an energetic and aggressive performance and showcase the spirit of Hong Kong.”