Davor Suker Joins Eastern District: A New Era for Hong Kong Football
When John Morling arrived at the Football Association of Hong Kong, China 2½ years ago, he looked at Croatia and posed a simple, stinging question: “Why can’t that be us?”
Croatia, with a population just under 4 million, have spent the past three decades punching far above their weight – one World Cup final, two semi-finals, a production line of technically gifted, tactically astute players who treat the biggest stage as home. Hong Kong, with roughly 7 million people to draw from, sit 156th in the world and remain nowhere near a World Cup, even with the tournament swelling to 64 teams.
The gap is stark. The ambition clearly isn’t.
Now one of the architects and icons of Croatia’s modern football story is stepping into Hong Kong’s orbit. Davor Suker, the silky finisher who lit up the 1998 World Cup and helped drive Croatia to the last four, has been appointed honorary president of Hong Kong Premier League side Eastern District.
On paper, it is an eye-catching move. A former Real Madrid and Arsenal striker, a Golden Boot winner on the biggest stage, a man who later spent nine years at the helm of the Croatian Football Federation, suddenly attached to a club in a league that still fights for relevance in its own city.
It raised eyebrows. Of course it did.
Why Eastern District?
Suker’s answer lies in relationships, not romance. Over the course of his presidency in Croatia, which ran until 2021, he built a close rapport with Eric Fok Kai-shan and Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, the current and former chairmen of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China. Those ties have now pulled him into the local game in a formal role, even if the title – honorary president – leaves plenty of room for interpretation over day-to-day influence.
What is not in doubt is his pedigree. During Suker’s tenure at the Croatian federation, the national team reached the 2018 World Cup final in Russia, cementing their status as the small nation that refuses to bow to the giants. He has remained in the global spotlight as a Fifa ambassador and, as recently as Thursday, publicly backed president Gianni Infantino.
For Hong Kong football, still searching for a blueprint, the symbolism matters. Morling’s early challenge – if Croatia can do it, why can’t we? – now has a living, breathing Croatian answer walking through the door of a Premier League club.
Whether that connection becomes a pipeline of knowledge, coaching ideas and development know-how, or remains a ceremonial title with a famous name attached, will define how much this move really shifts the landscape.
For a territory desperate to close the gap, the question now is no longer why can’t that be us – but what, exactly, will they do with a man who has already lived the dream they keep chasing?
