Coronavirus, tear gas and toilet rolls: Aussie defender dealing with life in Hong Kong

Whatever happens on the pitch in Hong Kong, Michael Glassock has experienced plenty off it since joining Pegasus from Central Coast Mariners last year.

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The 20 year-old is waiting to find out whether the Hong Kong Premier League will continue as normal next month but can already look back at a varied eight months in one of the world’s most vibrant cities.

“I came through the youth system in Australia and I wanted first team football in an Asian country and Hong Kong was an opportunity to get good experience,” Glassock, who signed for Pegasus in May 2019, told The World Game

The cool centre-back  slotted in quickly to his new surroundings.

“The level is good and foreign players are very good. Clubs pay more for attacking players and they are at a high level.

"As a defender, you are facing players from Argentina and Brazil and it is great for me as I am marking quality players every week.”

The coronavirus, that originated in mainland China, has brought football to a halt over much of East Asia with leagues in China, South Korea and Japan postponing their domestic seasons.

In Hong Kong, the group stage of the Sapling Cup has been taking place but behind closed doors at the Hong Kong FA Training Centre, the only venue that has not been shut down by the government.

“It is a weird feeling with no fans,” added Glassock.

“We are not even in a stadium but just a training ground and that is really weird.

"You are playing for three points but there is no atmosphere and it makes a difference, the fans make a difference with their singing and chanting but there’s none of that. It feels a little surreal.” 

To make it that bit stranger is that all Hong Kong’s teams are currently using the facility. 

”They are here and you can see them training at the same time you are training and that makes for a different feeling too.”

These days there is a surreal atmosphere all over the former British colony.

“Not many people are going out. I used to say Hong Kong was like organised chaos but now people are staying home more and eating at home.

"The day to day life is different too. You go to shopping centres and there is a shortage of meat, toilet paper, rice and bread. It is like living in a different time.”

Keeping touch with family and friends back in Australia helps to keep things in perspective.

“Each day is different and I am calling my family every day to tell them what is happening and they have been a massive help.”

Before the current health scare hit in January, regular protests in Hong Kong brought the city to a halt.

“The protests had been going for for seven and a half months before the coronavirus and they were happening each and every weekend, though some were worse than others.

"We had two games called off. On one Sunday afternoon, I was out with Benjamin Van Meurs and Charles Lokolingoy (both fellow Aussies and of Tai Po and, formerly, Pegasus) and we got struck by tear gas in Mong Kok, we had to run for safety. I had to be really careful where I went.”

The same is still the case though for different reasons.

“Whatever happens, I am  just focusing on what I can do to improve as a footballer   and now we are just waiting to hear what happens with the league season.”

It remains to be seen when the season actually ends and that is not the only thing up in the air with Glossock’s contract expiring in May.

“I have a few things I am negotiating at the moment. I am hoping to stay a year or two more in Hong Kong but am open to anything that comes my way whether that it is back home in the A-League or elsewhere.

"For now, I just want to get as many minutes as I can.”