YEUNG CHING-KWONG TAKES CHARGE AT SOUTHERN FOR NEW HONG KONG PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON

Former R&F head coach back in a top job with Cheng Siu-chung having stepped down after steering Southern to Sapling Cup victory
'I always want to work for Premier League teams. I had little hesitation accepting the offer after receiving the invitation,' Yeung says

Former R&F coach Yeung Ching-kwong has returned to top-tier football after being appointed as the new head coach of Kwoon Chung Southern on Tuesday.

The 47-year-old joined Kitchee last year as youth team coach after R&F were dissolved in 2020, but the former Hong Kong international now has another chance to prove his credentials in a top job.

"I always want to work for Premier League teams and I had little hesitation accepting the offer after receiving the invitation from Southern chairman Chan Man-chun," said Yeung, whose coaching resume also includes stints at Hong Kong heavyweights South China and Eastern, as well as mainland club Meizhou Hakka.

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"It will be the first time I have worked for a district club, but my footballing philosophy and practice always remain the same.

"Southern have good quality players, although we may not be as strong as some of the other top teams. We will look for more quality and may change our strategy to play better football.

"I hope we can rely more on team effort and the hard work of the players for better results in the new season so that more fans from the district will come and support us."

Southern were the only club other than treble-winners Kitchee to lift a trophy last season. They won their first top-flight silverware in over a decade by defeating Lee Man 2-0 in May's Sapling Cup final.

Kwoon Chung Southern lift Sapling Cup - then immediately announce change of boss

But chairman Chan revealed head coach Ricky Cheng Siu-chung would step down just before their victory celebrations had started. Cheng will focus more on commentary work with local television, but will stay with the club as their director of football.

A playmaker in midfield, Yeung spent most of his professional career with South China and went into management after retirement.

He was appointed as Eastern's head coach in 2015 but departed later that year for China League One with Meizhou Hakka, leaving the job to Chan Yuen-ting - who lifted the title in the same season to become the first female coach to win a top-tier league trophy.

Yeung will have to overhaul his squad, with Ho Chun-ting and Sebastian Buddle having returned to Kitchee after being on loan last season, while Jahangir Khan, Lau Hok-ming, Jean Moser, and Luis Nunes will all leave the cub.