Chan Wai Ho (born ) is a former

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...

and current amateur player for

Hong Kong First Division The Hong Kong First Division League () is the second-highest division in the Hong Kong football league system. Established in 1908, it is the third oldest in Asia. The league was formerly the highest division in Hong Kong until the formation o ...

club Eastern District. Chan was a member of the

East Asian Games The East Asian Games was a multi-sport event organized by the East Asian Games Association (EAGA) and held every four years from 1993 to 2013. Among those who competed included athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic ...

gold medal-winning Hong Kong U-23 squad in 2009. He was also the captain of the Hong Kong senior team from 2010 to 2017. He is sometimes referred to as Tai Ho (

Traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays ...

: 大豪) as a nickname for him and to distinguish him from fellow former Hong Kong international,

Lee Chi Ho Lee Chi Ho (, born 16 November 1982 in Hong Kong) is a former Hong Kong professional footballer. His usual position is right back while occasionally playing as a central defender as well. Club career South China He was awarded to be the Sou ...

Early life

Chan Wai Ho lived in Lok Wah Estate,

Ngau Tau Kok Ngau Tau Kok is an area of eastern Kowloon in Hong Kong, in the north of Kwun Tong District east to Kowloon Bay. Largely residential, Ngau Tau Kok has a population in excess of 210,000. Geography In Chinese, Ngau Tau Kok means ''ox horn'' ...

when he was young 天地豪情－陳偉豪, Page 28–31, Keymansoho, August 2010 and he graduated from Maryknoll Vocational Evening Secondary School. He moved to the player hostel of Rangers in

Boundary Street Boundary Street is a three-lane one-way street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs in an easterly direction from its start at the intersection with Tung Chau Street in the west, and ends at its intersection with Prince Edward Road West in t ...

when he was a vocational apprenticeship of Rangers.

Club career

Rangers and Yee Hope

His father decided that he would join Rangers to be a vocational apprenticeship when Chan Wai Ho was 16 years old. He stayed at Rangers for some months on trial for a professional contract. However, Rangers only gave him a contract after several twists and turns. Eventually, he appeared for the first team a few times in this season. In 1999–2000 season,

Yee Hope Yee Hope Football Club () is a now defunct Hong Kong Association football, football club which played in the Hong Kong First Division League between 1997 and 2001. In 1999–00 and Hong Kong First Division League 2000-01, 2000–01, the te ...

chairman Joe Chan invited Chan Wai Ho to join his team. Chan really started his professional career in this season. His number of appearances did not increase after he joined the team, but Arie van der Zouwen thought Chan Wai Ho was one of the best

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

in Hong Kong and selected him for

. In March 2004, Chan Wai Ho was suspended for 12 games after fighting along with four other Rangers players against Nan Shing Property FC players in a league match in Dongguan on 7 March 2004. The match was suspended and never completed. In 2006, it was rumoured that he had had a trial with English Premiership Club

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spell ...

and would play at the

Madejski Stadium The Madejski Stadium (currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a Association football, football stadium in Reading, Berkshire, Reading. It is the home of Reading F.C., Reading Football Club, who play in the E ...

in the English Premiership. And in 2007, it was rumoured that he would join

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...

after Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung became the chairman and executive director of the club.

Transfer record

Chan Wai Ho's transfer fee to

South China South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...

from Rangers was HK$400,000, which broke the record of the highest local transfer fee and highest transfer fee in

Hong Kong First Division League The Hong Kong First Division League () is the second-highest division in the Hong Kong football league system. Established in 1908, it is the third oldest in Asia. The league was formerly the highest division in Hong Kong until the formation ...

. The highest local transfer fee record was kept by Tam Ah Fook when he moved to

Ernest Borel Ernest Borel is a watch manufacturer founded in 1856 in Neuchatel, Switzerland. They have traditionally focused on export markets outside Europe and won several awards in the late 19th century, including first place in the 1866 Neuchatel observat ...

from Happy Valley by HK$140,000 in 1992. The highest overall transfer fee was originally kept by Cheng Siu Chung Ricky when he moved from LD Alajuelense in Costa Rica to

in 1994–95 season for a fee of US$30,000 (about HK$234,000). But there was rumour in the media that the record has been broken by

Chan Siu Ki Chan Siu Ki (, born 14 July 1985 in Hong Kong) is a former Hong Kong professional footballer who currently plays as an amateur player for Hong Kong First Division club Eastern District. He is the all-time top scorer for Hong Kong with 40 goa ...

's 2008 transfer from

Kitchee Kitchee Sports Club (; ; ) is a Hong Kong professional football club based in Kowloon. It was founded in 1931 and currently competes in the Hong Kong Premier League. The club has won championships in Hong Kong 11 times, including 6 Hong Kong ...

, which cost the Caroliners HK$800,000. The actual fee has not been disclosed.

South China

On 19 April 2007, it was revealed on HKFA webpage that Chan transferred to

from Rangers. His registration was just in time for him to represent the team to compete in the Hong Kong FA Cup 2006-07. Chan was described by

convenor Steven Lo to be the best Chinese centre back in Hong Kong. He made his debut for South China on 20 April 2007 in the

Hong Kong FA Cup Hong Kong FA Cup () is a knockout cup competition in Hong Kong football, run by and named after The Hong Kong Football Association. The first edition of the competition was held in 1975, before then the cup was known as the Golden Jubilee Cup. ...

First Round match against

Tai Po Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui () (the original "Tai Po Market") on the north of Lam Tsu ...

. Chan Wai Ho wore the number 15 at South China to commemorate his former Rangers teammate Cheung Yiu Lun, who died in a traffic accident in October 2003. He was not able to wear the number 15 at Rangers because the number was retired after Cheung's death.

Back to Rangers (HKG)

It is confirmed that he will join Fourway Rangers on 20 July 2010. But rumours said that he would return to South China in January 2011.

Back to South China

Chan Wai Ho re-joined South China in the January 2011 transfer window. He felt his form dropped as he also had to work as a coach at Fourway Rangers. He signed a one and a half-year contract. Chan Wai Ho scored the opening goal in the 2010-11 Hong Kong FA Cup final against Tai Po.

Dreams

Following South China's decision to self relegate, Chan terminated his contract with the club. He was announced as a player and captain of rebranded

Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

on 26 July 2017. On 8 June 2018, Chan confirmed that he had renewed his contract for the following season. On 26 May 2019, Chan accepted another renewal of his contract. However as a result of Dream's decision to self-relegate, Chan was left without work. On 17 August 2019, he announced his decision to retire from professional football.

Pegasus

On 2 September 2019, Chan changed his mind and joined

Pegasus Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...

to be a player and an assistant coach. Due to the financial strain caused by the

2020 coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, Pegasus asked its players to either accept a pay cut or agree to a mutual termination. On 7 April 2020, Chan announced that he would terminate his contract with immediate effect. On 14 July 2020, Chan once again announced his decision to retire from professional football.

International career

Hong Kong

Arie van der Zouwen selected him in

Hong Kong national football team The Hong Kong national football team () represents Hong Kong in international football and is controlled by the Hong Kong Football Association, the governing body for football in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was the first in Asia to hold the AFC Asian ...

in 2000. In June 2011, Chan Wai Ho was made captain of

for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification matches against

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

. On 22 March 2013, Chan Wai Ho scored the winner for Hong Kong against

Vietnam national football team The Vietnam national football team ( vi, Đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Việt Nam) represents the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in international football and is controlled by the Vietnam Football Federation, the governing body of footbal ...

in the

2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification The 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification was a qualification process organized by the AFC to determine the participating teams for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The 2015 AFC Asian Cup, hosted by Australia, featured 16 teams. In the initial scheme, ten p ...

match. After the match, acting Hong Kong national football team coach Kim Pan Gon said Chan is a top Asian level central defender. Chan played his farewell match for the representative team on 7 June 2017 against Jordan.

Hong Kong U23

Chan Wai Ho scored twice in the

2009 East Asian Games ) , Host city = Hong Kong , Teams participating = 9 , Athletes participating = 2,377 , Events = 262 events in 22 sports , Opening ceremony = December 5, 2009 , Closing ceremony = December 13, 2009 , Officially opened by = State Councilor L ...

, against South Korea in a group game and against North Korea in the semi-final. In the penalty shoot-out against North Korea, Chan Wai Ho also scored his penalty. Chan Wai Ho scored the winning goal for

Hong Kong national under-23 football team The Hong Kong Olympic Football Team (also known as Hong Kong under-23 or Hong Kong U-23) represents Hong Kong in international football competitions in the Olympic Games, the Asian Games, the East Asian Games, as well as any other under-23 inter ...

against

Uzbekistan national under-23 football team The Uzbekistan national under-23 football team represents Uzbekistan in international U-23 football competitions. The team is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Association and is a member of the Asian Football Confederation. Competitive rec ...

in the

2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), was a regional multi-sport event celebrated from November 12 to November 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, although several events ...

. Hong Kong won the match 1:0.

Honours

Club

;South China *

: 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2012–13 *

Hong Kong League Cup Hong Kong Football Association League Cup () is an annual football competition contested by clubs in the top-tier Hong Kong domestic football league (currently Hong Kong Premier League). The cup was relaunched for the 2014–15 season after being ...

: 2007–08 *

Hong Kong Senior Shield The Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield (), known commonly as the Senior Shield, is the football knockout inter-club competition held in Hong Kong and the fourth oldest football tournament in Asia. Traditionally, only the teams in the Hong Kong Pr ...

: 2009–10 *

: 2007–08, 2010–11

International

;Hong Kong * East Asian Football Championship Preliminary Competition:

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

* East Asian Football Championship Semifinal Competition:

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Long Teng Cup The Long Teng Cup was an annual international friendly football tournament organized by the Chinese Taipei Football Association and held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The competition has been contested by Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Macau and Philippine ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

* Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup:

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

;Hong Kong U23 *

Individual

* Hong Kong Top Footballers: 2006–07, 2009–10, 2012–13 * Hong Kong Top Footballer Awards Most Popular Player: 2012–13

Statistics

Club

:''As of 1 July 2012''

International

:''As of 7 June 2017''

Personal life

Chan Wai Ho became a father on 9 August 2010 when his wife gave birth to a son. He accompanied his wife in the hospital in the morning, then attended the Hong Kong national football team training in the afternoon. After retirement from professional football, Chan signed an amateur contract with Eastern District. He currently works as a real estate agent during the day.

References

External links

Chan Wai Ho
at HKFA * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Wai Ho 1982 births Living people Hong Kong footballers Hong Kong international footballers Hong Kong First Division League players Hong Kong Premier League players Hong Kong Rangers FC players Metro Gallery FC players South China AA players Yee Hope players Dreams Sports Club players TSW Pegasus FC players Footballers at the 2002 Asian Games Footballers at the 2006 Asian Games Footballers at the 2010 Asian Games Association football defenders Association football central defenders Association football midfielders Asian Games competitors for Hong Kong Hong Kong League XI representative players