Photo: Santiago Kwok
Three FIFA ASEAN Cup challenge games for Matt Orr and a three goal haul over the inaugural tournament. Orr’s contributions against Laos, Brunei and finalists Cambodia eventually powering Hong Kong to the FIFA ASEAN Challenge Cup title.
To round off a successful period for the Shanghai Port striker, Orr received his 50th cap against Brunei and will look to add many more appearances in the future and become a centurion.
The Incredible Fans
Orr paid tribute to Hong Kong’s incredible fan base which has exponentially grown over the years and this has resulted in a plethora of frenzied and memorable experiences at Kai Tak Sports Park. The current Hong Kong stadium has seen full houses with incredible atmospheres though a Hong Kong match at Kai Tak is now a must-see event.
“The support against Laos was awesome. It was slightly down from the Singapore and Bangladesh games, though I think the novelty of the competition and the Kai Tak stadium just opening as a real spectacle also helped bring more fans to those matches. Still, seeing 18,000 fans at the last game against Laos was awesome, and I hope we can make that figure a consistent minimum. Achieving that depends on us, the Hong Kong team, continuing to win games.”
Orr hoped that the final (at the time of the interview) could attract a full house and though the stadium was not at capacity, 31,000 fans still came and made a thunderous and deafening noise. The players do not take the support for granted as football without fans is nothing.
“For the rest of this week, I hope we can maintain this atmosphere. If all goes well, I hope we can reach the final and get a full house.”
An Incredible Journey
Orr’s journey has now taken him to places beyond his wildest dreams, one of the highlights was the game against Bangladesh, when Kai Tak was a sea of red.
Giant and passionate crowds (for Bangladesh, India and Singapore) were a sight which, for long time HK football observers, seemed inconceivable and almost a surreal concept only ten years ago.
“This support means everything to the players, as many of us dreamed growing up of playing in full stadiums at home. Club football and international football are very different; when you represent Hong Kong, it comes with so much pride.
To see 40,000 to 50,000 fans coming out to support us all in red is very emotional. I remember the first time I played against Bangladesh in front of that many fans—I almost had to step back and take a moment to appreciate the journey, how far I have come, how far Hong Kong football has come, and to be grateful for the dream that has come true for many of us.”
The FIFA ASEAN Cup – Closing the Gap
The entire concept of the FIFA ASEAN Cup was to raise the standard of football in the vast South-East Asian region and Orr said Hong Kong could definitely benefit from the tournament and close the gap between all the regional rivals.
“I think the gap is definitely closing, we’ve arguably had the best 4-5 years in terms of results and success individually for players at club level in Hong Kong football. We feel like we can compete well with these other strong Asian teams because of the core group we’ve got and the quality in the squad. I’d say the challenge now would be to continue that and close the gap even more.
There is still much room to improve from the grassroots level to the first team in terms of development of younger players and finding consistent talent streams that can feed into the first team and expand the core group.”
Culture Comes from the Top
A culture of excellence and a winning mentality comes from the top. Hong Kong has all the resources to be a top footballing team capable of defeating the best (like teams like Morocco which also have a small population) teams in the world.
“This (mentality) has to come from the people in charge with the ambitions, resources and investment dedicated to Hong Kong football because it is at a period right now where it needs more of that to grow and improve the team for the years to come. We have to make sure the gap is able to stay close and we don’t fall behind because those other nations are developing rapidly.”
A Transition Period
With Hong Kong not partaking in the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia and World Cup Qualifiers still a while off; Orr highlighted that it was a perfect time to give the younger players a chance.
“Chino (Roberto Losada) is currently in charge of a transition period for Hong Kong football and the squad. Since there are not really any major qualifiers for the next year or two, the objective for the HKFA and Chino now is to try and integrate more younger players and develop the next generation. I think this is what is really required, to be honest.
Right now with the Hong Kong team, the core group is still here, but some senior players are approaching the back end of their careers over the next two to three years. We really need to find some young talent, get them used to the first team, and try to raise their levels, as we are looking for the next generation to come and help the core group that we currently have.”
More Glory Glory Nights
Who knows where Orr’s career will take him next though, with 51 caps and counting, expect him to be part of the Hong Kong set up for many more years.
Maybe for Orr, if you take away all the perks that football comes with, simply savouring the opportunity to experience more ‘Glory Glory’ nights under the bright lights and colossal din of Kai Tak Sports Park, is more than enough.
