HONG KONG (AFP) - Hong Kong's football authorities confirmed Friday that they had given the go-ahead for David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy to play in the city.

LA Galaxy announced Monday they would play an exhibition match March 9 at Hong Kong Stadium, but the city's football authority said it had not approved the plan and the stadium was fully booked for that date.

However, that has now changed.

"The application was approved," Hong Kong Football Association Sunny Leung told AFP Friday.

"We have all been making every last-minute effort to have them come, we were very keen to have them here."

Leung said LA Galaxy would arrive on March 6 and hold a football clinic for youngsters before playing a South China invitation team on March 9, tickets for which go on sale from next Thursday.

The game is part of a Galaxy exhibition tour of Asia aimed at tapping into Beckham's huge popularity in the region.

He and the club arrived Tuesday in South Korea for an exhibition match on Saturday against FC Seoul.

They then travel to Shanghai for a match on March 5 before the stop in Hong Kong.