Law Kwok-tai

Law Kwok-tai[2] (or transliterated as Lo Kwok Tai; 5 August 1929 – 1 September 2013) was a football coach and a Republic of China (Taiwan) international footballer, but born and spent his entire playing and coaching career in the British Hong Kong, a colony that geographically located in the southern China. Law retired as a professional footballer in 1976, aged 47. That season he was a player-manager. He coached until the 1990s, at aged 60s. At international level he played for Republic of China (Taiwan) in the Olympics as well as Asian Games and AFC Asian Cup. He also played for Hong Kong League XI in non-official match in Merdeka Tournament, as well as "Hong Kong Chinese" team in another friendly tournament, Ho Ho Cup.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Law (羅).
Law Kwok-tai
羅國泰
Born5 August 1929
Hong Kong, the British Empire
Died1 September 2013(2013-09-01) (aged 84)
Hong Kong S.A.R., the People's Republic of China
Nationality
Republic of China (Taiwan)(1949–2013)
British Hong Kong(1929–1997)
Republic of China(1929–1949)
People's Republic of China(1997–2013)
Other names
Tai Gor 泰哥(means Brother "Tai")
泰仔[1](means Son "Tai")
CitizenshipBritish Hong Kong (1929–1997)
Occupations
  • association footballer
  • association football coach
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Association football career
Position(s) Inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
?000–1976 Eastern
International career
1950s–1960s Republic of China (Taiwan)
Managerial career
?000–1976 Eastern (player-manager)
1976–1977 Kwong Wah
1977–1982 Sea Bee
1982–1983 Tsuen Wan
198?–1985 Eastern
1985–1987 Eastern
1987–1988 Po Chai Pills
1988–1989 Happy Valley
1990–1991 Martini
1991–? Singtao
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese羅國泰
Simplified Chinese罗国泰

Club career

At club level, Law played for Eastern[3][4] of the Hong Kong First Division League.

International career

Law participated in the 1960 Olympics for the Republic of China (Taiwan, now played as Chinese Taipei). He played his only appearance in that tournament, against Brazil.[5]

He also played in 1960 and 1968 AFC Asian Cup, as well as 1958 Asian Games, where he won the goal medal. He scored against his native Hong Kong in 1968 AFC Asian Cup.

He also represented Hong Kong League XI, a scratch team of the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) for 1957 Merdeka Tournament, a friendly tournament.[3][6] The team was mainly composed of players from the football club Eastern, but most of them in fact ineligible to Hong Kong team, who already played for aforementioned Republic of China (Taiwan).

He also represented another team Hong Kong Chinese team in 1959, against Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa in a friendly match[7] and against Malayan Chinese team in the Ho Ho Cup.[8][9] The team was selected by the Chinese Football Association of Hong Kong, a sub-association of HKFA, the Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation of Hong Kong and China National Football Association of Taiwan.

Coaching career

After retirement as a professional footballer, Law became a football coach. He coached Eastern,[10][11] (as player-manager in 1975–76 season[12][13] and in the 1980s), Kwong Wah,[14] Sea Bee,[10] Tsuen Wan, Po Chai Pills, Happy Valley,[15] as well as Martini (1990–91) and Singtao (1991 to ?[2]) in the 1990s. Those clubs were all based in Hong Kong.

Sea Bee

Law was hired as the head coach of Sea Bee in 1977.[16] He coached the team until the end of the 1981–82 Hong Kong First Division League.

He also attended an advanced coaching course that was conducted by a West German coach as well as sponsored by the West German Consulate General Hong Kong in 1980.[17]

Tsuen Wan

Law was the head coach of Tsuen Wan from 1982. He was dismissed in January 1983.[18]

Eastern (second and the third spells)

Law was the head coach of Eastern in the 1980s. He resigned in April 1985.[19] The club also promoted his assistant But Wai-hong (畢偉康) as head coach.[19]

Law was re-hired by Eastern in November 1985 as vice-manager (副領隊) and head coach (總教練).[20] In the next season, Law and Leung Chun-kuen (梁振權) were hired as joint-head coach (教練) of Eastern in June 1986. The latter was promoted from footballer and would attended coaching class in August 1986 in the United Kingdom.[21] In June 1987, Law was reassigned from the head coach to the technical consultant (技術顧問) of Eastern.[22] Soon later he left the club.

Po Chai Pills

Law was hired as head coach by Po Chai Pills, a newcomer of 1987–88 Hong Kong First Division League in 1987. The club is a namesake of the Po Chai Pills, a proprietary Chinese medicine. The club relegated back to the second division in 1988.

Happy Valley

Law and Chan Kwok-hung (陳國雄) were hired by Happy Valley as joint-head coach in 1988, while the former manager (領隊) Mr. Leung/Leong/Liang (梁子明) was assigned a more administrative role by the head (and financial contributor) of the football section (足主) of the club, Ricky Yu Kam-wai (余錦偉), as an assistant of Yu's brother, Lawrence Yu Kam-kee.[23]

He won Hong Kong First Division League with Happy Valley[15] in 1989. However, his contract was not renewed.[24]

Martini

Law was hired by Martini (馬天尼), a club from the second division as head coach in the 1990–91 season.[15] He resigned in January 1991 but changed his mind in the same month.[25] He resigned again in March 1991.[26]

Singtao

Law was hired by Singtao in June 1991, replacing Chan Hung-ping (陳鴻平).[27]

Honours
As player
As coach

Personal life

Law was known for pro-Republic of China (Taiwan) as his political affiliation. In 1962, an advertisement on New Evening Post, claimed Law and some of the footballers, congratulated the 12th anniversary of the establishment of New Evening Post, a pro-People's Republic of China (Communist Party of China) newspaper. However, another open letter on Hong Kong Times, a pro-Republic of China (Taiwan) and Kuomintang newspaper, Law and three other people, declared that they did not endorse to put their names on the advertisement.[28]

Law died on 1 September 2013 in the Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong, according to Eastern Football Team;[10] or before 2014, according to former teammate Law Pak during an interview.[29]

References
  1. 東方攻擊力不足 羅國泰促請班主 物色兩外援鋒將. The Kung Sheung Daily News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Industrial and Commercial Daily Press. 20 October 1984. p. 6.
  2. Walker, Jeremy (19 September 1993). "Hong Kong soccer's top 10". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  3. 李 [Lee], 峻嶸 [John C.W.] (2015). 足球王國：戰後初期的香港足球 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Joint Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 9789620437823. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via Google Books preview.
  4. "Socceroo B Matches for 1957". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  5. "Law Kwok-tai". Olympedia. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  6. Written at Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong. 默迪卡國際足球賽結束 聯合邦元首嚴端 以總理杯贈港球隊. Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). content from Agence France-Presse was incorporated. Hong Kong. 9 September 1957. p. 8.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. Written at Hong Kong. "Costa Ricans edge Chinese". The Straits Times. Singapore. 7 May 1959. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  8. "Hong Kong keep Cup". The Straits Times. Singapore. 8 June 1959. Retrieved 8 September 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  9. "NewspaperSG - Terms and Conditions" 和和杯足球賽港華蟬聯三屆冠軍七比二擊敗馬華隊觀眾達一萬七千人. Nanyang Siang Pau (in Traditional Chinese). Singapore. 8 June 1959. Retrieved 9 September 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  10. "[no title]". Eastern Football Team. Facebook. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  11. 教練羅國泰對今仗看法 嘜死羅德福等三將 東方有機會爆半冷. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Industrial and Commercial Daily Press. 3 December 1973.
  12. 總督盃半準决賽 1–0東方淘汰港會 加時羅國泰妙傳單偉根建功. Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 8 February 1976. p. 8.
  13. 市政靜觀「天下之變」 東方掂咗唔駛降班 港會警察與甲組「拜拜」. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Industrial and Commercial Daily Press. 4 May 1976. p. 6.
  14. 光華再失分 羅國泰話慘. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 22 May 1977. p. 12.
  15. 馬天尼接觸羅國泰 許以教席尚未斟妥 會長孫敬安擬赴澳門物色外援. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 14 June 1990. p. 9.
  16. 喬治 [George] (30 August 1977). 姚卓然無暇做教練 海蜂將起用羅國泰. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Industrial and Commercial Daily Press. p. 6.
  17. 高級敎練班結業 羅國泰等表示感到獲益良多. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Industrial and Commercial Daily Press. 11 December 1980. p. 3.
  18. 羅國泰要鬆人 有什麽內幕？. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Industrial and Commercial Daily Press. 3 January 1983. p. 2.
  19. 教練羅國泰辭職 東方提升畢偉康 李杏林表示此事與戰績無關. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 5 April 1985. p. 9.
  20. 東方展開救亡運動 羅國泰出任總教頭 昨主持操練三名新援表現不俗. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 16 November 1985. p. 8.
  21. 羅國泰梁振權擔任東方教練. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 31 July 1986. p. 8.
  22. 東方組班進行順利 現任教練羅國泰升為技術顧問 預備組教練畢偉康調升甲組助教. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 23 June 1987. p. 17.
  23. 余錦偉昨談愉園內閣 足總同大後開會決定 羅國泰陳國雄將負責球隊操練. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 16 July 1988. p. 8.
  24. 愉園棄用羅國泰執教 足主余錦偉說新人選正在考慮 下周與餘下四名球員商談續約. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 24 June 1989. p. 5.
  25. 羅國泰重掌馬天尼菲臘士擬歸隊效力. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 19 January 1991. p. 15.
  26. 馬天尼教練羅國泰提出辭職獲得批准. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 2 March 1991. p. 6.
  27. 與陳鴻平結束賓主關係 星島聘羅國泰執教 留用高偉德等 欲羅致賴羅球. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 3 June 1991. p. 12.
  28. 運動公社 (22 October 2016). 香港足球圈的政治表態：60年代球員賀左派新晚報報慶. 香港獨立媒體網絡 [InMedia HK] (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  29. 何長發 (23 October 2014). 羅北逾半世紀足球金牌英雄 一生驕傲在台灣. 發哥論球 column. ETtoday (in Traditional Chinese). Eastern Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
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