Jimmy Chan Former FIFA Referee

Interview with Jimmy Chan, Former FIFA Referee

Jimmy Chan at a recent game in Hong Kong. — Jimmy Chan (on the right) at a recent game in Hong Kong

"I Attended Games at the Old Hong Kong Stadium and There Used to be Crowds of 20,000"

Jimmy Chan has been a mainstay in the Hong Kong game for decades, in both the professional and amateur game, in his capacity as a referee.

Chan has seen Hong Kong football go through many changes, both for the better and worse, and was happy to reflect on his unique memories of the Hong Kong game.

"I liked to play and kick a ball around and I played third division as a player and I liked to watch the third division games. But at that time it was quite difficult to get a ticket so I wanted to be a referee so I could attend any stadium to watch a game without paying for a ticket!

I started to referee in 1973 as a third class referee and in 1979, I was promoted to a class two referee and in 1981, I was promoted to class 1. I was in class 1 for eight years and then in 1989, I was nominated as a FIFA referee by the HKFA until 1994 when I retired."

Chan reflected back and shared his memories of some of the big matches he officiated in the eighties and nineties.

"Aside from some international games, a memorable game was South China versus Bulova. I believe this game was in 1988 and there was a full house at the old HK stadium. It was a local game and I believe at this time, that South China was in third or fourth position and Bulova SA was second and there were many, many spectators. I believe it was a record attendance."

Jimmy Chan and colleagues. — Jimmy Chan and colleagues

Chan had the chance to be on the same pitch with some legendary players from teams like South China and Bulova.

"There were players like Dave Anderson and Tommy Hutchison when they played for Bulova SA and South China had players such as Fung Chi Ming and Wong Man Wai."

Chan also lamented on the slow demise of Hong Kong football and how crowds used to be in the tens of thousands while local games now attract just a few hundred people.

"Now in Hong Kong, there are no important matches and there has been a drop in spectators. When I attended games at the old stadium, there used to be crowds of 20,000. This was quite common and, as a referee, we could not commit any mistakes as the fans would scold the referees and even throw items like apples and oranges even bottles! So when I refereed these games, I had to concentrate and not make mistakes and a lot of committee experts used to watch our performances to make sure we were up to standard to be FIFA referees. But nowadays, there are no spectators and there are only a few teams in the HKPL. There are no more stars or idols in HK. There are so many empty seats now and the atmosphere is unfortunately just not there anymore."

Jimmy Chan - Hong Kong referee. — Jimmy Chan

Chan has trained many referees in Hong Kong and said the lack of professional games means that the standard of refereeing in HK games has stagnated.

"I remember, I was invited to be a referee at an international game in Shanghai and I remember it was a China Olympic national team against Romania from Eastern Europe in 1992. It was a Marlboro Cup game and there were 60,000 fans. After that game, I felt no pressure when I came back to HK to referee games and this was a really good experience. The referees now in HK probably do not have the pressure as they used to but they cannot improve and upgrade their standards."

Chan went on to discuss how people could become referees and the type of training they need to undergo to make the grade.

"First referees have to pass their physical fitness tests and then they must understand the laws of the game and they have to use their mind and intelligence. Even if you are really physically fit and if you do understand the laws then it is not useful as you have to have a quick response and you have to know how to handle the game and how to manage the game without any troubles. If you can have chances to referee big games then you will have a greater chance to obtain more experience.

You can now see that in HK no one goes to watch football and this means standards are not as high. People like Wallace Cheung have tried to inject some money into the game and he spent up to HKD 20 million during his time in South China during his two years but sadly there were no real achievements."

The Hong Kong game is in a crisis and this means that businesses and advertisers are reluctant to pore money or invest in the game as the returns are little to none.

"In my time refereeing, there were so many advertisements and Carlsberg were a major sponsor because an ex-player named Derek Currie became marketing manager at Carlsberg and he organized many international tournaments over the Chinese New Year. Companies used to fight it out for advertising spaces at the games to have their signs in the center of the stadiums due to television coverage."

Chan has been a keen observer of the local game and says Yapp Hung Fai is the best local player in Hong Kong at this moment in time.

"The best player now is Yapp from Eastern and he is very good."

Chan is also highly involved in the amateur leagues in Hong Kong and said the standard was good.

"The standard of amateur football is pretty good. The Yau Yee league is well organized and disciplined and many teams from the private sector join and there is a waiting list. The legal league is ok and the standard is pretty good. Some teams in the Yau Yee league have their own grounds."