The Hong Kong Football Association (FA) announced on February 1 that it would withdraw from the e-sports version of the Asian Cup because the name of the Hong Kong team in the relevant game did not include the word "China". The game only refers to "Hong Kong", not "Hong Kong, China".
The AFC eAsian Cup 2023 was originally scheduled to start in Qatar on the evening of February 1, and according to the FA's earlier announcement, the FA cooperated with the Hong Kong E-sports Association of China to send two esports players, Jason Liem and Kalok Choi, and coach Jay Wong.
足总本次派出两名电竞选手Jason Liem、Kalok Choi及教练Jay Wong到卡塔尔。 （足总fb）
The tournament will be played in doubles format through PS5's Konami eFootball, with the same group arrangement as the Asian Cup, with Hong Kong being placed in Group C against Iran and the United Arab Emirates, while Palestine had withdrawn earlier. The Hong Kong team was originally scheduled to face the United Arab Emirates, and the match will be broadcast live on YouTube as scheduled.
Although the official promotion of the tournament refers to the Hong Kong team as "Hong Kong, China", the in-game screen of Konami eFootball shows that the Hong Kong team is called "Hong Kong". The FA issued a press release in the evening announcing its withdrawal from the competition.
Pei Junqi said that quitting is the only way at present. (Screenshot of cable news)
The FA said: "The Hong Kong Football Association regrets to announce its withdrawal from the AFC eAsian Cup 2023. On 29 January, the Association found that the Konami's eFootball™ 2024 game program adopted by AFC eAsian Cup 2023 could not correctly display the name of the team 'Hong Kong, China, and after several days of negotiation with the organizer, it was still not properly resolved. Therefore, in accordance with the guidelines and recommendations of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, the Association notifies the AFC of its decision to withdraw from the AFC eAsian Cup 2023. ”
It is understood that the two players and coaches departed from Qatar late yesterday night to return to Hong Kong.