Tai Po supporters deny falling out with team, say Hong Kong champions have full support

The family that buys the Hong Kong Premier League club Tai Po say they are fully committed to the defending champions, but any decision on the club’s future after this season rests with president Peter Lam Yick-kuen.

Sources previously told the South China Morning Post that Francis and Catherine Yip were ending their participation, and after being beaten by Southern last weekend, head coach Lee Chi-kin said he did not know if the Yips would continue to pour their money into the club next season.

But Francis Yip, who said his wife’s love for Tai Po stemmed from their friendship with Lam, chairman of the Rural Tai Po Committee, emphasized the two’s desire to help the club establish itself as a force in local and continental football.

“Ultimately, the decision on the direction of Tai Po is the president’s, not ours, and everything will be clearer by the end of this month,” Yip said. “We are not the owners, we are the financial backers and we got involved because of our friendship with Peter.

“We don’t live in Tai Po, but we saw an opportunity to support the club, to support the players and their families and also to give the youth of the district a chance to play football. It has been a great period in our lives and we want it to continue.

“We can never guarantee success on the field, no one can, but we want to give the club every chance to bring more happiness to the district.”