Some time ago I received some images of some black and white photographs from a member of the family of the late Mr Foo Hee Jong, a defender who represented Singapore in the 1950s.
| The arrival of the 1950 MCFA tour at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport (as noted) |
One of these was a group photo (above) taken at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport.Based on some information gathered, it is likely that the photo was taken in mid-January 1950 and that the contingent was the MCFA (Malaysian Chinese Football Association) Chinese-Malaysian team of which Mr. Foo is one of the members.
THE RETURN OF THE HO HO CUP
One of the objectives of the tour was to resume the Chinese Interport Football Competition, popularly known as the “Ho Ho Cup” (for sponsorship reasons) – a competition contested by ethnic Chinese teams representing both Hong Kong and Malaya and which originated in 1928.
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| The MCFA contingent walking on the tarmac of Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong (as credited) |
In the center of the photo was a silver trophy placed for the delegation that arrived at the “Pearl of the Orient” after a stopover in Bangkok after departing from Singapore’s Kallang Airport.
FAREWELL AT THE GOH LOO CLUB
Before their departure, the Malaysian players and officials received a farewell reception at the Goh Loo Clubpresenting the new trophy to them, alongside two sets of eleven gold medals: one for the winners and one for the runners-up.
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| The Goh Loo Club in Chinatown |
A subsequent report from the Hong Kong newspaper “工商晚報” (Kung Sheung Evening News – KSEN) revealed the different values of the medals: the winners’ medals were worth $75 each, and those of the runners-up were valued at $55 each.
ARRIVAL IN HONG KONG
Upon their arrival at Fragrant Harbor on January 18, the traveling party paid a courtesy call on Aw Boon Haw, the legendary Tiger Balm King, before playing their first three matches of their tour.
Speaking to KSEN shortly after landing, team manager Lim Hock Seng revealed that star players such as Olympic “Twinkletoes” Chia Boon Leong (who represented the Republic of China at the 1948 Games) and Aw Boon Seong were unavailable due to work commitments.“Most of the players we have for this trip to Hong Kong are new faces, with the main motive being to nurture their technique,” Lim said of the purpose of the trip.
But above all, we want to teach each of them sportsmanship and moral integrity.
“Without those virtues, no matter how gifted a player may be, we would never select him in the first place.” he added.
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| The MCFA emblem |
The first match on January 21 was an all-Chinese affair between the Combined Chinese side representing Hong Kong taking on their Malaysian opponents for the Ho Ho Cup, with the former winning the new trophy after a two-nil victory at the South China Athletic Association (SCAA) Football Stadium at Caroline Hill.
Two days later, the Combined Chinese team recorded a 6-3 victory over the visitors at Fa Hui Stadium, located on the other side of Victoria Harbor on the Kowloon Peninsula.
FATIGUE ON THE SECOND LEG
That result concluded the first leg of the contingent’s Hong Kong tour before they flew to Manila on January 25 to continue their series of friendlies against local sides.
In two more matches against the Hong Kong League Selection and the combined Chinese side, the Malaysian team lost 7-1 and 3-1 respectively, an indication of fatigue among the tourists who were back in the then British Crown Colony for the second leg of their venture.
Before landing on the Kallang Airport tarmac on Valentine’s Day, the contingent played three more matches in Bangkok – beating Phra Nakhong 2-0 and Siamese Chaisod 4-2, and drawing 3-3 against Bangkok XI.
However, the former Perak and Selangor player noted that the climate had been a major factor in some of their matches in Hong Kong.
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| The tour team, upon arrival at Kallang Airport, at the end of their journey (as credited) |
The Malaysian boys were not used to the cold weather, so they had to play in freezing conditions. The 7-1 defeat against the Hong Kong League Selection on February 7 at Caroline Hill on Hong Kong Island was an example of this.
Acknowledgments: I would like to express my sincere thanks to Mr Lee Fengtian, who shared and allowed the photos that led to the creation of this blog post, which chronicles an often forgotten part of local football history..
- In Hong Kong (first stage – P3, 1W, 2L):
- lost 2-0 to Combined Chinese (Ho Ho Cup)
- victory 4-2 against Combined Hong Kong
- lost 6-3 to Combined Chinese
- In Manila (P5, 2W, 2D, 1L):
- victory 6-1 over Combined University
- lost 2-0 to Turba Salvaje (local champion)
- victory 3-0 Manila XI
- draw 3-3, 0-0 with all Philippines
- In Hong Kong (2nd stage – P2, 1W, 1L)
- lost 7-1 to Combined Hong Kong
- win 3-1 against Combine Chinese
- In Bangkok (P3, 2W, 1L)
- victory 2-0 against Phra Nakhon
- win. 4-2 against Siamese Chaisod
- 3-3 draw against Bangkok XI
- In total, the tour quota statistics for this tour are: six wins, three draws and four defeats, based on details of Nanyang Siang Pau
(PS3: Some images in this post are taken from sources as noted. Should anyone find it inappropriate to show any of the media, please email me ASAP and I will remove them upon request.)
(PS 4: I stand to be corrected if there is an error in this post, feel free to email me if there is, thanks)
#Revival #Cup #rekindling #football #rivalry #Malaya #Hong #Kong #World #War