HKFA was criticised last month following a report by the Hong Kong Audit Commission, which accused the governing body of a "lack of progress" over the past nine years. 

The report has now been considered by the Legislative Council’s Public Accounts Committee.

Senior officials from the Government’s Home Affairs Bureau as well as HKFA chairman Pui Kwan-kay and chief executive Paul Woodland were invited to the Committee meeting to shed light on the accusations, as reported by the South China Morning Post. 

According to the report, the HKFA Audit Committee held no meetings after February 2015 for a period of four years up to 2019, and it was alleged that the Committee consisted of just the chairman. 

Councillor Steven Ho Chun-yin asked: "How can the financial statement be endorsed by a Committee which only had one member?"

"This was a big error."

The report also claimed there were several HKFA Board members who attended less than half of the Board, committee and subcommittee meetings from 2014 to 2019.

One member did not attend a single meeting. 

In addition, HKFA failed to provide most of the agendas and minutes of its Marketing and Communications Committee meetings.

The Legislative Council also criticised the HKFA's recruitment policies and procedures, most notably the hiring of former Hong Kong coach Gary White.

White was recruited in 2018 after the deadline for applicants had passed.

The Englishman's appointment was announced on September 18 of that year but he resigned just two months later. 

Hong Kong's men's team are 143rd in the FIFA World Rankings, having hit an all-time low of 172nd in 2012.