Law Kwok-tai (or transliterated as Lo Kwok Tai; 5 August 1929 – 1 September 2013) was a football

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and a

Republic of China (Taiwan) Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

international

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, rugby ...

, but born and spent his entire playing and coaching career in the

British Hong Kong Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the Briti ...

, 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 The Hong Kong League XI, also known as the Hong Kong XI or Hong Kong League Selection, is a football team which represents the Hong Kong First Division League in exhibition matches, mainly the Lunar New Year Cup. The team is selected from the ...

in non-official match in

Merdeka Tournament Merdeka Tournament or Pestabola Merdeka is a friendly football tournament held in Malaysia to commemorate the Independence Day. The competition bears the Malay word for independence. As of 2022, it has been held 40 times, and decreasingly in ...

, as well as "Hong Kong Chinese" team in another friendly tournament, Ho Ho Cup.

Club career

At club level, Law played for

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

of the

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 o ...

International career

Law participated in the 1960 Olympics for the Republic of China (Taiwan, now played as

Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One-China principle stipulated by th ...

). He played his only appearance in that tournament, against

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. He also played in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

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

, a

scratch team A scratch team is a team, usually in sport, brought together on a temporary basis, composed of players who normally play for different sides. A game played between two scratch teams may be called a scratch match. The earliest instance of the term ...

of the

Hong Kong Football Association The Hong Kong Football Association Limited (), often abbreviated to the HKFA, is the governing body of association football in Hong Kong. Its current chairman is Pui Kwan Kay and its Chief Executive Officer is Joaquin Tam. History The HKFA was ...

(HKFA) for 1957 Merdeka Tournament, a friendly tournament. 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

. He also represented another team Hong Kong Chinese team in 1959, against Costa Rican club

Deportivo Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The team's signature colours are purple ...

in a friendly match and against Malayan Chinese team in the Ho Ho Cup. The team was selected by the Chinese Football Association of Hong Kong, a sub-association of HKFA, the and China National Football Association of Taiwan.

Coaching career

After retirement as a professional footballer, Law became a football coach. He coached

, (as player-manager in 1975–76 season and in the 1980s),

Kwong Wah Kwong Wa (born Chan Muk-wah on 19 November 1961) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. He is known for his portrayals of Chinese historical characters such as Lao Ai (''A Step into the Past''), Xiang Yu (''The Conqueror's Story''), Tang Sanzang ('' J ...

Sea Bee Sea Bee ( or ), later known as Ernest Borel (),Takungpao, 1990-05-16, page 10 was a Hong Kong football club which competed for many years in the Hong Kong First Division. In 1993, the parent company of the club, Ernest Borel, loaned the right to c ...

Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a town built on a bay in the western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite of Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged from the surrounding villages and flee ...

, Po Chai Pills, Happy Valley, as well as Martini (1990–91) and

Singtao The ''Sing Tao Daily'' () (also known as ''Sing Tao Jih Pao'') is Hong Kong's oldest and second-largest Chinese language newspaper. It is owned by Sing Tao News Corporation, of which Kwok Ying-shing () is chairman. Its English language sister p ...

(1991 to ?) in the 1990s. Those clubs were all based in Hong Kong.

Sea Bee

Law was hired as the head coach of

in 1977. 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.

Tsuen Wan

Law was the head coach of

from 1982. He was dismissed in January 1983.

Eastern (second and the third spells)

Law was the head coach of Eastern in the 1980s. He resigned in April 1985. The club also promoted his assistant But Wai-hong () as head coach. Law was re-hired by Eastern in November 1985 as vice-manager () and head coach (). In the next season, Law and Leung Chun-kuen () were hired as joint-head coach () of Eastern in June 1986. The latter was promoted from footballer and would attended coaching class in August 1986 in the United Kingdom. In June 1987, Law was reassigned from the head coach to the technical consultant () of Eastern. 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 () were hired by Happy Valley as joint-head coach in 1988, while the former manager () Mr. Leung/Leong/ Liang () was assigned a more administrative role by the head (and financial contributor) of the football section () of the club, Ricky Yu Kam-wai (), as an assistant of Yu's brother,

Lawrence Yu Kam-kee Lawrence Yu Kam-kee MBE, BBS, JP (, born 1946) is a prominent Hong Kong businessman. Biography He graduated from the Diocesan Boys' School in the 1960s. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the China Renji Medical Group Limited. He is t ...

. He won

with Happy Valley in 1989. However, his contract was not renewed.

Martini

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

Singtao

Law was hired by Singtao in June 1991, replacing ().

Honours

;As player *

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

** 1958 (Republic of China or Taiwan) ;As coach *

** 1988–89 ( Happy Valley)

Personal life

Law was known for pro-Republic of China (Taiwan) as his political affiliation. In 1962, an advertisement on ''

New Evening Post ''The New Evening Post'' ( Chinese: 新晚報) was a Hong Kong newspaper. It was the evening edition of ''Ta Kung Pao''. It started printing on October 15, 1950 and stopped printing on July 27, 1997. The famous novelist Jin Yong was an edito ...

'', 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 China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(

Communist Party of China The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

) newspaper. However, another open letter on ', a pro-Republic of China (Taiwan) and

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

newspaper, Law and three other people, declared that they did not endorse to put their names on the advertisement. Law died on 1 September 2013 in the Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong, according to

Eastern Football Team Eastern Athletic Association Football Team Limited, also known as Eastern Sports Club (), is a Hong Kong professional sports club whose football section competes in the Hong Kong Premier League, the top flight of Hong Kong football. The foo ...

; or before 2014, according to former teammate Law Pak during an interview.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Law, Kwok Tai Taiwanese footballers Hong Kong footballers Hong Kong football managers Eastern Sports Club footballers Eastern Sports Club football managers Sea Bee managers Kwong Wah AA managers Happy Valley AA managers Sing Tao SC managers Hong Kong First Division League players Chinese Taipei international footballers Chinese Taipei international footballers from Hong Kong Footballers at the 1958 Asian Games Medalists at the 1958 Asian Games 1960 AFC Asian Cup players 1968 AFC Asian Cup players Asian Games medalists in football Asian Games gold medalists for Chinese Taipei Footballers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers of Taiwan Association football forwards 1929 births 2013 deaths