The Macau Elite League enters into the international break, during which the Macau representative team plays against Sri Lanka in the World Cup qualifiers, but before that Round 14 was already played. C.P.K. keeps a comfortable lead in contrast to Benfica Macau who once again failed to live up to expectations, losing surprisingly to Hang Sai.
Benfica does not have an easy season. After failing to comply with the AFC club licensing requirements for the AFC Cup, the management board of the club announced that the investment would be much lower than in previous seasons. Consequently, the club could not fight for the title with the same resources as before. Despite that it was still expected that Benfica could challenge for a top position, knowing that C.P.K. were the big favourites to claim the championship.
14 rounds later it is not looking good for the former Macau champions. The low point was reached at the end of May after a surprising 3-0 defeat to sixth-placed Hang Sai. It is true that the current season can be seen as a transition period for Benfica, with a lot of changes in the squad, including a new coach who is also a player, captain Cuco. However, it is not clear what will be the future of the club, if they remain a mid table side, or if they will invest again and challenge for the title. Nonetheless, team manager Duarte Alves is known for having big ambitions for the club, particularly at continental level, so if the club cannot reach AFC competitions, there is less motivation for big domestic investments. The successful AFC club licensing needs to be the ultimate goal for Macau clubs, but in order to facilitate this they also need the proactive help of the Macau FA to reach the required standards.
Coming back to round 14 of the Macau Elite League, C.P.K. continue their march towards their first ever title by easily thrashing Tim Iec 7-0. They are now four points clear on top of the table, only chased by Cheng Fung who also claimed all three points with a 4-2 win over Policia. Monte Carlo are in third, another 4 points behind, after winning 5-1 against Macau U23. Ka I in fourth drew with Sporting Macau 1-1.
With regards to the relegation battle, Macau U23 are last and almost relegated, with only three points to their credit. Policia with ten points are also in the danger zone. Tim Iec are just above the relegation zone in eighth, with two more points than Policia.
The Macau Elite League now enters a break for the FA Cup and resumes on July 19th with Round 15.
