Ashley Westwood out: Hong Kong fans turn against English coach ahead of crucial clash against India

Ashley Westwood is a renowned name in Indian football.

The Indian national football team is set to play their AFC Asian Cup 2027 round three qualifier game against Ashley Westwood’s Hong Kong on Tuesday. Manolo Marquez’s side started their campaign with a goalless draw against Bangladesh and will be looking to remain unbeaten in their group when they face the Dragons.

Ranked 127th in the FIFA Rankings, India have been out of form since the start of 2024, picking up just one win since then. To add to the pressure, the Blue Tigers lost 2-0 against Thailand last week in a friendly encounter in the build-up to this important qualification game against Hong Kong.

In terms of India’s opponents, Hong Kong is ranked 153rd in the FIFA rankings. They are coming off a 3-1 loss against Manchester United and a goalless draw against Nepal in a couple of friendly games.

Hong Kong are currently managed by the former Bengaluru FC head coach Ashley Westwood. The Englishman has a good understanding of Indian football, and he also has a good record against the Indian football team.

Westwood’s Afghanistan were pitted against India in the recent FIFA World Cup qualification group. They took four of a possible six points as they had a big role in ending India’s hopes of qualifying to the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Hong Kong fans are unimpressed with Ashley Westwood!

However, what comes as shocking news is that the Hong Kong national football team supporters are not happy with their manager. Senior journalist Chris KL Lau, speaking on Khel Now TV, shared in detail about how the fans actually feel in regards to Ashley Westwood.

“Hong Kong took on Nepal, and they drew 0-0, and it was a rugged defensive performance by them. Nepal are ranked 175th in the world. In the past, Hong Kong would have been expected to easily have won these games, but we are going through a bit of a purple patch ourselves,” said Chris.

“Some of the fans were not happy with coach Ashley Westwood after the game as they really expected to have a win. There’s a real love-hate relationship between the fans and the manager. Hong Kong were going through a very good nine-game unbeaten run under his stewardship. But that’s still not satisfactory for some of the fans, ” he added.

Why did Ashley Westwood get booed?

Explaining in detail, Chris KL Lau said, “Before and after the Nepal game there were some boos towards Ashley Westwood. A few fans also chanted – Westwood Out. It has always been a very, I would say, tense relationship between Ashley Westwood and the Hong Kong fans as it has never been 100% love.”

“I would say that the main bone of contention is some of the team selection. So, Hong Kong has been lacking in goals recently. One of the players who is really on form, his name is Lau Chi Lok of Hong Kong Rangers, and he scored about 18 goals this season, wasn’t included in the squad. The fans are just wondering why he isn’t being given his chance.

“There are other players like Vas Nunez, who is a defender and doesn’t currently have a club, and he has been injury-prone recently. Fans are just questioning why he is in the squad as well. There is also another player called Kyle Lau who plays for Lee Man and has some experience playing in the United States at the university level. But some fans are questioning if the youngster is worth his inclusion in the squad already, as he is yet to prove himself.”

Chris also pointed out about Ashley Westwood’s playing style, adding, “Another factor is Ashley’s predecessor – Jorn Anderson. The Norwegian was quite popular with the fans, and he took Hong Kong to the Asian Cup. We played really well in the Asian Cup, though we lost all three group games.”

“Fans always liked Jorn Anderson’s style of play. But he has since left to manage Yunnan Yukun in the Chinese Super League. I think this India game for Ashley Westwood will be make or break, and I think Hong Kong are actually going to win this game.”

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