Tim Chow, an English professional soccer player of Taiwanese descent, arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday and is to join the national team squad for their Asian Cup qualifier in Turkmenistan on Tuesday next week after last-minute issues were resolved.
Speaking to reporters following his arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, Chow said he was excited about joining the Taiwan squad.
“It’s been a bit of whirlwind the past week and I’m really excited to be back here to get my residency permit,” Chow said.
The 23-year-old Chow obtained a Republic of China (ROC) passport in London on Monday last week.
Chow went straight to the National Immigration Agency later on Tuesday to apply for a residency permit to ensure the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recognizes his eligibility to play for the nation.
He flew to Qatar yesterday to join the national squad, which has been training in Doha since Thursday last week.
The team heads to Turkmenistan on a charter flight on Sunday.
His day-long trip was Chow’s second visit to Taiwan. He visited in late May to familiarize himself with the nation of his grandfather.
The player’s arrival ended a week of uncertainty over whether he would be eligible to represent the national soccer team in the match against Turkmenistan, a qualifier for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
IN THE PAST
A law firm representing the player issued a statement on Thursday last week that said Chow would not be able to play because of unresolved issues with the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA).
After a week of negotiations, the CTFA on Tuesday said that all outstanding issues had been resolved.
Asked to comment on the controversies, Chow said: “What happened in the past is in the past.”
He said he wants to focus on making the best of the next few days to fit in with the national squad.
Although Chow has never played with the national team, he said he has seen highlights of their matches and is confident he would be able to fit in with the team’s playing style.
“I will do my best to help the team, however I can,” he said.
Pursuing ROC citizenship has been a long and winding road for Chow.
Born in Wigan, England, Chow said his grandfather was born in China and lived in Shanghai before moving to Taiwan after World War II. He emigrated to England in 1956.
That made Chow eligible to obtain ROC citizenship.
SECURED
The CTFA first contacted Chow four years ago, hoping to recruit the midfielder, who plays for Scottish Premiership club Ross County, to boost the competitiveness of the nation team.
Taiwan are third in their Asian Cup qualifying group, one point behind Bahrain and Turkmenistan, with two games left to play.
A loss in Turkmenistan next week would likely knock the team out of contention for qualification for the 2019 tournament in the United Arab Emirates, but a win or a draw would boost their chances of qualification with only a match against Singapore, the group’s last-placed team, remaining.
Taiwan have not qualified for an Asian Cup final since 1968, when they finished fourth in a five-team tournament.
In related news, in the AFC U-19 championship qualification yesterday, Taiwan defeated Macau 2-0 at Hsinchu County Stadium, with goals from captain Tu Shao-chieh and striker Wang Chung-yu.
The win secured six points and second place for the hosts in Group H, with a good possibility they will advance to group runners-up.
Vietnam topped the group by trouncing Laos 4-0. Vietnam had a perfect run with three victories in three matches for all nine points to advance as group winner.
Additional reporting by Jason Pan
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two