Liang Kongde

Brian Leung Hung‑tak MH (born 9 October 1946) is a Hong Kong garment‑industry entrepreneur and former Chairman of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China.

Early life and education

Leung was born in Kunming, Yunnan Province, and spent his childhood in Guangzhou. In 1957 his family moved to Macau, then in 1959 they relocated to Hong Kong where he attended Pui Ching Primary School and Pui Ching Middle School. Even as a schoolboy, he would lead friends to play football at King’s Park during lunch breaks.

At age 19, he enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign to study engineering. With only his first term’s tuition covered by his parents, he supported himself by working part‑time as a waiter in restaurants. Upon graduation in 1969, he married his classmate Leung Liu Yau‑fan in the United States.

Business career

In 1975, returning to Hong Kong with his wife and backed by her family, he founded a garment‑export company. He built well‑known denim labels such as Unionbay and Sergio Valente for the U.S. market, achieving annual exports exceeding US$100 million.

Sports administration

Leung served as Vice‑Director of the South China Athletic Association football section in 1997 and as President of the Hong Kong Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation. In the June 2007 Football Association election, he secured the backing of four First Division clubs—Yuen Long, South China, Citizen and Hong Kong Football Club—leading to the withdrawal of the incumbent Chairman Kong Po‑ku and Leung’s unopposed election as Chairman on 25 June 2007.

During his tenure, he faced criticism over ticketing arrangements for the 2007 Barclays Asian Cup qualifiers—his “picnic ticketing” remark sparked a fan backlash and a public apology. He was reappointed unopposed in 2009.

In October 2009, he sold the Hong Kong national team’s three home Asian Cup qualifying broadcast rights for over HK$5 million to an international intermediary, moving a home match against Japan to 6:30 pm to suit Japanese broadcasters—decisions that drew strong fan protests over ticket prices and kickoff times.

A 2010 report by Next Magazine revealed that under Leung’s chairmanship the FA’s reserves fell from HK$11 million to HK$0.24 million, amid overspending on the Lunar New Year Cup and costs for a cheerleading squad and senior appointments, as well as unapproved allocations to a Hong Kong C team, which disbanded within a year.

In September 2015, after a 0–0 draw away to China in World Cup qualifying, goalkeeper Yapp Hung‑fung was struck by the goalpost and later alleged he was called a “dog” by China’s Zheng Zhi. Leung suggested a Mandarin misunderstanding of “too long” for “dog”, a claim widely disputed for its linguistic improbability.

In July 2018, speaking at a Legislative Council committee reviewing the FA’s five‑year plan, he criticized the Hong Kong Premier League’s prospects and revealed talks with the Chinese FA about a “Greater Bay Area League”, questioning the local league’s viability after his decade‑plus as chairman.

Racehorses

Leung, his wife Leung Liu Yau‑fan, their children and son‑in‑law Lin Chun‑yu are all members of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and have owned racehorses such as Flying Warrior, King of the South, Tofu, Moon Person, Gallant Warrior, Green Warrior and subsequent “Warrior”‑prefixed names under their family string.

External link

• [FA Chairman’s Blog (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20101122075157/http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/chairman-blog)