Hong Kong coach eyeing life-changing role ahead of Nepal and India clashes

Roberto Losada said managing Hong Kong would be a “life-changing job”, but played down the pressure as he prepared to audition for the role in his final two matches in interim charge.

After leading the side in the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup and Chinese New Year Cup, Losada will get his first taste of genuine international football when the city team play Nepal on March 26, then travel to India for an Asian Cup qualifier five days later.

The task of assembling a competitive squad has been “very challenging”, with injuries ruling out a number of key men and players based on mainland China having to make flying visits to Hong Kong to obtain visas for Indian travel.

“The visas have been a nightmare … chapeau to the players, a big shout out for their commitment,” said Losada, who added that he felt 98 per cent of his squad had immediately bought into his regime.

Despite his early introduction to the complexities of international football, Losada has no doubts over hungrily pursuing a job he publicly distanced himself from early last year.

“It’s a big job, I’m working hard for it and I’m going to try to do my best now and beyond; this can change your life,” Losada said.

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