Former Finland coach Mixu Paatelainen tipped to take over as Hong Kong coach
- The 52-year-old excelled as a striker for his country and has a wealth of managerial experience
- HKFA confident they will continue to get funding support from the government
Former Finland national coach Mixu Paatelainen is strongly tipped to take over the hot seat to lead Hong Kong to the next World Cup and Asian Cup qualifications.
HKFA chairman Brian Leung Hung-tak said this week they were finalising details with an overseas coach and would make the appointment soon.
Leung would only say the candidate came from a country which is not familiar to Hong Kong fans.
It is believed 52-year-old Paatelainen, who was last with the Latvia national team in 2018, is top of the list. The second choice is a former national coach of the Philippines.
“Hong Kong can only offer him a short-term contract up to next year when the existing government scheme ends,” said a source. “But we are confident the government is very likely to continue the funding support and Paatelainen should not worry about his future.
“Our target is the World Cup and Asian Cup qualifications. While the 2022 World Cup qualification may be a target too far at the moment, the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers is definitely within our reach. The government also wants to see results from the Hong Kong team as it can promote social identity.”
The government is providing HK$25 million a year to the association through the “Aiming High – Together” scheme, the second phase of Phoenix Project, first initiated in 2011.
The scheme provides funding to secure a top-class coach for the national team. Already there have been three – Ernie Merrick, Kim Pan-gon and White.
Paatelainen enjoyed a successful career as a striker, representing Finland 70 times and scoring 18 goals. He retired in 2005 after finishing most of his career in Scotland where he played for various clubs including Dundee United, Aberdeen, Hibernian, St Johnstone and St Mirren.
“He has immense experience at both club and international level and we are confident he can lead Hong Kong to a new level,” said the source.
