Li Deneng

Li Tak Nang (born 4 October 1960) is a Hong Kong football commentator. He formerly served as Media and Communications Manager at the Hong Kong Jockey Club and as Sports Information Manager at the Hong Kong Sports Development Board. He was a protégé of veteran sports commentator Ho Kam‑kong. From 2019 to 2021 he was a member of the Hong Kong Football Association Referee Committee. Since the mid‑1980s he has also performed in radio drama and hosted other radio programs, before focusing on football commentary.

Early life

Li was born on 4 October 1960 at Kwong Wah Hospital in Kowloon, Hong Kong. He grew up in Tung Tau Estate, Kowloon. His given name was chosen by nurses when his mother’s pronunciation was misunderstood, resulting in the name “Li Tak Nang.” He spent his childhood frequenting the youth centre on Lung Tsun Road in Kowloon Walled City. He has one older brother and two younger sisters, and his father worked in an enamelware factory in To Kwa Wan.

He attended Cheung Tak Public School followed by Kaiping Chamber of Commerce Secondary School (from Form 1 in 1973 to Form 7 in 1980). Initially average academically, he began striving harder from Form 2. He served as class monitor and played on the school basketball and volleyball teams. In Form 6 he took part in a stage adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice.”

After secondary school Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education results did not qualify him for the University of Hong Kong or Chinese University of Hong Kong, so he enrolled in a Communication diploma at Hong Kong Baptist University, minoring in English Journalism. His classmates included journalist Yeung Kin‑hing and film director Alan Mak. In his third year he worked part‑time as a reporter for the Financial Daily and continued to act in stage plays.

Career

After graduating in 1984, Li wrote feature reports for the Financial Daily. He then joined Radio Television Hong Kong’s Radio Drama Unit as a contract scriptwriter and actor, appearing in adaptations such as The Daughters of the Fu Family (1989). In 1984 he was invited by Ho Kam‑kong to assist with RTHK’s coverage of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, leading to roles hosting music and sports magazine programs. In 1985 he became a full‑time RTHK civil servant; from 1986 he began working as a football commentator.

By 1989, before turning 30, he had advanced from announcer to Assistant Program Officer and then Program Officer at RTHK. Seeking new challenges, he left for Asia Television as an administrative officer, overseeing compliance, before returning on‑air. In 1990 he was seconded to commentate the 1990 FIFA World Cup for ATV. From 1991 he freelanced as a football commentator for TVB, then in 1993 joined Cable TV. Concurrently he ran a public relations firm for four years. In 1994–95 he commentated in Mandarin for Guangdong Satellite Sports Channel on matches held in Guangzhou.

In 1995 he joined the Hong Kong Sports Development Board as Sports Information Manager and began writing a sports column (“On Football”) for Apple Daily. He continued football commentary for RTHK alongside Ho Kam‑kong and Ho Ching‑kong, and for ATV and Cable TV covering Serie A and occasionally the Bundesliga. He hosted World Cup programs and wrote football articles for Apple Daily and Economic Journal. In 2003 he became Media and Communications Manager at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. He also served as Assistant Chef de Mission for the Hong Kong Paralympic team in 2000 and 2004.

In 2008 he hosted the Olympic program “Tak Nang O SHOW” for Cable TV and published “Behind the Gold Medal.”

Currently he is Senior Brand Manager (Sports and Community Projects) at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, occasionally commentates Hong Kong Premier League matches for Hong Kong Online, and writes for Football Weekly. He also served on the Home Affairs Bureau’s Major Sporting Events Committee (2015–2020) and the Football Task Force.

Publications

• Behind the Gold Medal, Economic Journal Publishing, ISBN 9789626785126, April 2008
• My Hong Kong Football Green Paper, Joint Publishing, ISBN 9789620446818, July 2020

External links

• Weibo – Li Tak Nang
• Tak Nang’s private mic