Dale Tempest stood ready under a high ball on the far corner of the Hong Kong Stadium pitch. He controlled it clean off his chest, ducked under and caught it snugly on the back of his neck. The crowd of more than 25,000 went wild.
The then 25-year-old Tempest was making his Hong Kong First Division debut for once-mighty South China late in the summer of 1989. Forget the fact that the Caroliners, 1-0 up at the time, conceded two late goals in a season-opening 2-1 defeat by Happy Valley.
That moment of magic and madness served to forge an immediate bond with the city and its fans; a seven-year love affair that involved more than 100 goals, jury duty (and being recognised by the judge), an exclusive interview with England great Gary Lineker, television punditry and the ultimate honour – playing for the Hong Kong national side.
Last week, the memories came flooding back for Tempest after he was nominated in social media’s latest trend – showing off a piece of memorabilia that holds special meaning.
Tempest posted a video of his framed red Hong Kong jersey – signed by Brazil legend Pele – from his senior team debut in the 3-2 home victory over Thailand in a 1997 World Cup qualifier.
“I had played for a number of select XIs previously but this was my first game for the proper Hong Kong team,” said Tempest, who also played for Eastern and is now a betting pundit in the UK for Skybet and Sky Sports. “I had got my seven years residency by then. I remember at the time, many of the rugby players played for Hong Kong after a short time but the HKFA always said seven years and there were no short-cuts.
“So I felt that I earned my time. And the great thing was that because it was a small football community, the players were all my South China and Eastern teammates. So it was very special.
“To get that win in that first game as well, that was great,” said Tempest, who would bond with his Chinese teammates by joining them in their gambling games, especially during away trips. “What made it more special was Pele, who was in town at the time, signed my jersey when he visited our training session at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.”
The Leeds-born Tempest arrived in Hong Kong after spells with Huddersfield Town, Belgium’s Lokeren and Colchester United. His was part of a new wave of foreign players to play in the city after the HKFA had lifted its three-year ban on overseas imports.
Tempest, with the likes of Hong Kong international Tim Bredbury, ex-Manchester United striker Peter Bodak and future Rangers and Everton striker John Spencer, was part of the final chapter of Hong Kong’s golden era of club football.
Former giants Seiko and Bulova had left the scene and, though a top match would still attract 20,000 fans or more, the decline was palpable. Tempest was among the last overseas recruits able to sprinkle a measure of glamour on the Hong Kong scene – and he made the most of it.
He scored 109 goals for South China, Eastern and Kitchee, including a hat-trick for South China in their stunning 4-2 victory over Brazilian world champions Sao Paulo at a newly refurbished Hong Kong Stadium in April, 1994.
Tempest was at Eastern at the time but played as a guest for South China along with Lee Kin-wo for the Sao Paulo game. Lee scored the fourth goal.
“I have so many great memories and guesting for South China and scoring a hat-trick against Sao Paulo is probably the highlight of my time there,” said Tempest, who still keeps the match ball in his loft at his home in Wetherby, Yorkshire.
He also has fond memories away from the football pitch, and nothing could be more different to a noisy stadium than a sedate courtroom trying a drugs case. But even then, Tempest’s football fame came to the fore.
Tempest was to play in a cup final for South China at the weekend but he was unable to train because he had been selected for jury duty.
“I sat there all week and couldn’t do any training because I was on this jury,” Tempest said. “On the Friday, the case came to a close. It was a drugs-related case and, as foreman, I was to give the verdict. I think it was ‘guilty’.
“And when I gave the verdict, the judge said: ‘Good luck in the cup final on Sunday’. I remember walking away and thinking, ‘I can’t believe he said that!’ It was definitely one of the more quirky episodes of my time in Hong Kong.”
Tempest, with his movie star looks and eloquence, was tailor-made for the media. He was often a guest on the panel of ATV presenters for major broadcasts such as the World Cup and European Championship.
It was that experience that helped his rise to stardom at Skybet and Star Sports but during his time in Hong Kong – even as a player – he displayed a journalistic determination that earned him an exclusive interview with former England star and now BBC pundit Gary Lineker.
Lineker was in Hong Kong in 1993 with Japan’s Grampus Eight to play Eastern and he refused to give interviews. Tempest was undeterred.
“We were at a dinner for the teams and I went up to him, introduced myself and asked if I could bring a camera crew to his training because I was trying to get into the media, as he was. He said OK.”
However, when Tempest turned up at Grampus training the next day, he was surrounded by hordes of Japanese journalists, all wanting a precious sound bite from their star player.
“I thought I’d never get a chance but then I managed to grab his attention and he waved me and the cameraman through. I was the only one who was able to interview him among these hundreds of media.” Tempest played and scored in the match as Eastern and Grampus drew 1-1.
Soon after making his Hong Kong debut, in which he carried a bad calf injury, Tempest knew that his career was ending. His calf muscles were shot and he would eventually return to England.
After a stint as media manager for Huddersfield, Tempest joined a small bookmaker, which was then bought by Sky and is now the biggest betting company in the country.
Tempest has been part of the ride, emerging as one of biggest names in UK sports betting punditry, with his experiences Hong Kong playing an integral part in his journey.
On the field, Tempest, now 56, reserved praise for former Hong Kong winger Lee Kin-wo, who he played with at South China and Eastern.
“There are some players you play with all your life and you’re on the same wavelength,” Tempest said. “You just know each other’s game. It’s not through training, you just get each other. Throughout my career I must have played thousands of one-twos with him. I just knew when he was going to play inside and when he was going behind and when he was crossing.
“I pretty much knew exactly where he was going to be putting it, which makes a huge difference when you got a player like that. So I probably bonded with Lee more than anybody. We just got on great as a pair on the pitch.”
