The 2020–21 Hong Kong Premier League (also known as the BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 7th season of the Hong Kong Premier League, the top division of Hong Kong football.
Effects of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic Due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Football Association postponed the opening of the 2020–21 season. Later, it was announced that the season would begin on 21 November 2020.菁英盃周六開鑼 晉峰先鬥冠忠南區 on.cc 21 October 2020Fixture Release of 2020-21 BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League and Home Stadium for participating team HKFA 3 November 2020 The league was suspended again after two rounds being played due to the third wave of coronavirus pandemic in Hong Kong. On 12 February 2021, the Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department approved to resume football competitions in Hong Kong after February 20 behind closed doors. The Senior Shied and FA Cup were cancelled, while the ongoing Sapling Cup would continue.
Teams A total of eight teams contest the league, including seven sides from the 2019–20 Hong Kong Premier League and one promoted from the 2019–20 Hong Kong First Division. Tai Po and Yuen Long decided to self-relegate to the Hong Kong First Division due to lack of funds. Meanwhile, R&F decided to withdraw from the league system.
ClubFoundedPositionLast Season Kitchee 1931 1st Eastern 1932 2nd Lee Man 2017 4th Southern 2002 5th Happy Valley 1950 6th Pegasus 2008 WithdrewRangers 1958 WithdrewResources Capital 1982 1st in First Division(before cancellation) Pink denotes a newly promoted club entering the league this year.
Stadia and locations
Primary venues used in the Hong Kong Premier League:
KitcheeEastern Happy Valley Lee Man Resources Capital Mong Kok Stadium Sham Shui Po Sports Ground Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground Tsing Yi Sports Ground Capacity: 6,664 Capacity: 2,194 Capacity: 3,500 Capacity: 1,500 Rangers Pegasus Southern Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground Yuen Long Stadium Aberdeen Sports Ground Capacity: 2,200 Capacity: 4,932 Capacity: 4,000
Personnel and kits Team Chairman Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Main sponsorEasternLam Kin Ming Roberto Losada Leung Chun PongAdidasUpbest GroupHappy ValleyChen Zhishi Pau Ka Yiu LucianoAdidasMichiKitcheeKen Ng Chu Chi Kwong Huang YangNikeEDPS Systems Ltd.PegasusSteven Lo Kwok Kar Lok Leung Hing KitAdidasRedMRLee ManNorman Lee Chan Hiu Ming Fernando RecioAdidasLee & Man ChemicalRangersPeter Mok Chiu Chung Man Wong Chin Hung Lai Ka Fai Lam Ka WaiKelmeUcanHong Kong Amateur Football AssociationSouthernMatthew Wong Zesh Rehman Shu SasakiMacronIsuzuResources CapitalHanson Wong Joan Esteva Lam Chun Kit Law Ho Yin Liu Yik Shing Carles TenaFuture Hong Kong Football Development Charity Limited
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointmentPegasus Man Pei Tak Change of Role 20 October 2020 Pre-season Kwok Kar Lok 20 October 2020Eastern Lee Chi Kin Change of Role 28 May 2021 2nd Roberto Losada 28 May 2021
Foreign players The number of foreign players is restricted to six per team, with no more than five on the pitch during matches, the fifth player must be a marquee player.
According to the decision made by Hong Kong Football Association Board of Directors on 15 July 2020, the marquee player must fulfil one of the following criteria:
i) played for a club which is in a world's top professional league of one of the top 50 associations in the FIFA ranking published by FIFA on 11 June 2020 for at least 1 season or ii) fielded by his association in an international match, which his association is one of the top 50 associations in the FIFA ranking published by FIFA on 11 June 2020.
Marquee Player
Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6 Former/Unregistered PlayersEastern Lucas Silva Everton Dudu João Emir Eduardo Praes Chen Hao-weiHappy Valley Razaq Adegbite Luciano Mikael Charlie Scott Robert OduKitchee Raúl Baena Manuel Gavilán Dejan Damjanović Park Jun-heong Cleiton Tomas WellingssonLee Man Jonathan Acosta Gil Kim Seung-yong José Ángel Serhiy Shapoval Manolo Bleda Michaël N'driSouthern Stefan Pereira Zesh Rehman Kota Kawase Shu Sasaki Matthew Cahill Pedro MendesPegasus Marquinhos Nilson Júnior Goiano Kessi BernardoRangers Oleksii Shliakotin Douglão Juninho Fernando Lopes Augusto NetoResources Capital Albert Canal Felipe Sá Jordon Brown Carles Tena
League table
Results Home and away
Split After 14 matches, the league splits into two groups of four teams. The top four are grouped into the championship group and the bottom four into the relegation group, with the teams playing every other team in their group once (either at home or away). The exact matches are determined by the position of the teams in the league table at the time of the split.
Championship Group
Relegation Group
Positions by round To preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for round 7, but then played between rounds 8 and 9, it will be added to the standings for round 8.
Championship Group
Relegation Group
Fixtures and results
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Season statistics Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Dejan DamjanovićKitchee172 James HaSouthern12 GilLee Man4 SandroEastern115 Stefan PereiraSouthern96 MarquinhosPegasus77 Felipe SáResources Capital6 NilsonPegasus9 Lucas SilvaEastern5 Robert OduHappy Valley FernandoEastern JuninhoRangers
Hat-tricks Note: The results column shows the scorer's team score first. Teams in bold are home teams. #PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef1 Stefan PereiraSouthernPegasus4–02 MarquinhosPegasusLee Man3–13 Dejan DamjanovićKitcheeHappy Valley3–14 James HaSouthernResources Capital4–15 Dejan DamjanovićKitcheeRangers3–16 GilLee ManResources Capital4–07 LucianoHappy ValleyResources Capital7–28 GilLee ManPegasus5–1
Clean sheets Rank Player Club Match(es)1 Wang Zhenpeng Kitchee62 Yapp Hung Fai Eastern53 Lam Chun Kit Resources Capital4 Yuen Ho Chun Lee Man Oleksii Shliakotin Rangers6 Leung Hing Kit Pegasus37 Tse Tak Him Southern1 To Chun Kiu Happy Valley Felix Luk Pegasus Tsang Man Fai Eastern Paulo César Kitchee
Attendances
Awards Monthly Most Valuable Player MonthMost Valuable PlayerReferences Player ClubOctober & November SandroEasternFebruary & March Dejan DamjanovićKitcheeApril Leung Hing KitPegasusMay Dejan DamjanovićKitchee
Hong Kong Top Footballer Awards
Awards Prize Winner Club Votes Footballer of the Year Dejan Damjanović Kitchee 77.34% Women's Footballer of the Year Lau Yun Yi Tai Po (Women) 9 Coach of the Year Chu Chi Kwong Kitchee 35.76% Young Players of the Year Sun Ming Him Pegasus 49.57% Ho Chun Ting Kitchee 42.26% Players' Player Charlie Scott Happy Valley 32 Most Favorite Player Dani Cancela Kitchee 2,367 Hong Kong Top Footballers Goalkeeper Yapp Hung Fai Eastern 32.52% Defenders Dani Cancela Kitchee 51.63% Eduardo Praes Eastern 49.61% Júnior Goiano Pegasus 36.65% Hélio Kitchee 26.45% Midfielders Marquinhos Pegasus 53.92% Ngan Lok Fung Lee Man 43.40% Charlie Scott Happy Valley 31.80% Cleiton Kitchee 28.12% Forwards Dejan Damjanović Kitchee 77.34% SandroEastern 47.63%
Remarks
References