SCST: Welcoming Hong Kong Football Festival 2026, Looking Forward to Exciting Matches with Top European Clubs

Speech by SCST at Hong Kong Football Festival 2026 Press Conference

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, at the Hong Kong Football Festival 2026 Press Conference today (April 21):

The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, Photo source: reference image

Rachael (Managing Director of TEG Sport, Ms Rachael Carroll), Eric (Chairman of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China, Mr Eric Fok), Andrew (Chief Executive Officer of the Kai Tak Sports Park Limited, Mr Andrew Kam), Wilfred (Chairman of the Major Sports Events Committee, Mr Wilfred Ng), media friends, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. I am most excited to join you today at the press conference for the second edition of the Hong Kong Football Festival. I am sure many of you are still savouring the fond memories of last summer, as Rachael has said - around 100 000 passionate football fans filling up the magnificent Kai Tak Stadium for two spectacular exhibition matches.

Football will once again take centre stage in the global sports arena in the coming months, with the World Cup just around the corner. Hong Kong is proud to sustain this momentum in August, as four iconic European clubs participate in this year's Hong Kong Football Festival. Obviously I don't have a crystal ball to predict the final standings. But all four clubs - Chelsea, Inter, Juventus and Manchester City - have been performing very well in their domestic leagues, with City now stands a decent chance to be the English Premier League title owner again. Not an easy thing for a ManU (Manchester United) fan to say, man. But I am totally confident that together these four teams will deliver thrilling clashes here in Hong Kong this summer.

The Hong Kong Football Festival 2026, Photo source: kaitaksportspark.com.hk

Last year, the Hong Kong Football Festival was inaugurated at the then newly commissioned Kai Tak Stadium. One year on, this state-of-the-art venue has become the premier destination for mega events in Asia. It has welcomed over 2 million spectators from Hong Kong and around the world, including 111 000 just over last weekend at the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. According to leading international industry magazine "Pollstar", Kai Tak Stadium topped the chart in Asia for both ticket sales and gross revenue. As I said over the weekend during the Hong Kong Sevens, Kai Tak Stadium is a "game changer", demonstrating Hong Kong's ability to attract major international events.

I am delighted that more and more major international teams now see Hong Kong as their favourite destination for pre-season tours. I thank TEG for your continued confidence in the Hong Kong market following last year's inaugural festival. Beyond infrastructure and tourism appeal, Hong Kong's access to the vast Chinese Mainland market is no doubt another significant draw. I would also like to thank the legendary players, who you will be seeing in a moment, from the four clubs for travelling all the way to Hong Kong for this launch. Seeing your faces brings back so many precious memories of past matches.

Together with our enthusiastic football fans, I very much look forward to the Hong Kong Football Festival in August. And see you all at Kai Tak Stadium.

Thank you.

Hong Kong Customs detects dangerous drugs case and seizes suspected drugs worth about $27 million

Hong Kong Customs detected a dangerous drugs case yesterday (May 12), and seized about 35.7 kilograms of suspected cocaine, 235 grams of suspected ketamine and 64g of suspected crack cocaine in Tseung Kwan O and Shau Kei Wan. The total estimated market value was about $27 million. A 31-year-old man was arrested.

During an anti-narcotics operation conducted in Tseung Kwan O yesterday afternoon, Customs officers intercepted a suspicious man and seized about 30kg of suspected cocaine inside a suitcase and a backpack carried by him. The man was subsequently arrested. Customs officers later escorted him to a residential premises nearby for a search and further seized about 5.4kg of suspected cocaine. Upon a follow-up investigation, the man was further brought to an industrial premises in Shau Kei Wan for a search, and about 307g of suspected cocaine, 235g of suspected ketamine, 64g of suspected crack cocaine and a batch of suspected drug packaging paraphernalia were seized.

The arrested man has been charged with three counts of trafficking in dangerous drugs and will appear at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (May 14).

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Hong Kong Customs detects dangerous drugs case and seizes suspected drugs worth about $27 million Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs detects dangerous drugs case and seizes suspected drugs worth about $27 million Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases