Hong Kong booters pull out of Asian U-18 Manila tilt
MANILA, Philippines—In an apparent backlash of the hostage-taking fiasco that led to the death of its eight citizens, Hong Kong on Friday pulled out of the first qualifying tournament of the Asian Football Confederation Under-19 Women’s Championship scheduled Sept. 20 to 24 at the University of Makati ballfield.
According to Philippine Football Federation administrative officer Maja Año, the federation was informed of Hong Kong’s decision by the AFC yesterday, less than two weeks after the hostage-taking incident at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
“We haven’t received any formal communication from Hong Kong,” said Año. “They might have coursed it through the AFC.”
Hong Kong authorities issued a travel ban on the Philippines after the hostage-taking incident.
Hong Kong’s withdrawal left host Philippines, Myanmar and Uzbekistan to dispute the lone spot to the second round of the continental event.
With the development, Año said the AFC was forced to change the schedule to just one game a day for the duration of the single-round qualifying event.
Myanmar will play Uzbekistan in the opener on Sept. 20. The Philippines takes on Myanmar on Sept. 22, before facing Uzbekistan on Sept. 24.
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