Hong Kong’s football fans enthusiastically embraced the World Cup, gathering to watch broadcasts of the matches even though many were played at inconvenient times. The city’s football festival , featuring two matches between top English and Italian teams, gave supporters a golden opportunity to see some of their heroes perform live. But there is no doubting the impact of this new flagship event in Hong Kong’s sporting calendar. The second successful staging of the football festival is especially satisfying. Manchester City fans turned the stands into a sea of sky blue and supporters of all four teams entered into the spirit, creating a lively atmosphere.