The Hong Kong Football Association announced on Wednesday night that its chief executive Joaquin Tam Chau-long will be departing the sport’s governing body.
The official statement confirmed Tam will leave in August, with his duties immediately taken over by Deputy Secretary General and Head of Refereeing, Charles Cheung Yim-yau. Cheung will assume Tam’s role until a suitable replacement is appointed.
“The Hong Kong Football Association, China Ltd (Association) announces that the Board of Directors has accepted the resignation of chief executive officer Joaquin Tam Chau-long, and his employment terms will conclude in late August this year,” a spokesman for the association said.
The association also thanked Tam for his service over the past three years since he took the helm in May 2021.
Meanwhile, reports have suggested that Hong Kong Football Association chairman Eric Fok Kai-shan was behind the decision to dismiss Tam, due to his involvement in a series of controversies during his tenure.
It is understood that a number of senior staffers of the association have resigned after Tam assumed his role as CEO, with many citing his lack of background in football or sports management.
Tam was also twice caught up in court cases, with the first seeing Tam suing then HKFA board member Yvonne Tsang Wong Yuen-kee for criminal intimidation. At the end of 2023, it was said that an unidentified former employee at the association had sued Tam for alleged disability discrimination.
Separately, Tam’s ability was in question for issues related to the Hong Kong Premier League, with football veterans slamming the association’s officiating decisions and poor fixture management this season.
Hong Kong United Times丨香港聯合時報丨HKUT 