Asian Champions League’s record scorer Damjanovic leaves Hong Kong treble winners Kitchee, as club cuts 4 players
- Montenegrin striker, who was suspended by the club earlier this season, opts not to renew his contract with the title winners
- Kitchee also axe Alex Akande, Bekzhan Sagynbaev and Maddox Kong and wish quartet ‘every success for the future’
Dejan Damjanovic, the Asian Champions League’s all-time leading scorer, and three other players have left Hong Kong treble winners Kitchee, the club announced on Thursday.
The 41-year-old, who scored a record 42 goals in the continental competition and is understood to have had an increasingly fractious relationship with Kitchee boss Alex Chu Chi-kwong, opted not to stay after the end of his 2½-year contract.
Damjanovic was suspended by the club earlier this season after reportedly flying home to Montenegro over Christmas without permission. Sources said at the time that the striker had already informed the club that he would not be staying beyond this season.
In a statement posted on the club’s Facebook page, Kitchee also said that Alex Akande, Bekzhan Sagynbaev and Maddox Kong were being let go.
“All four players will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for the contribution they have made,” the statement said. “The club wishes them every success for the future.”
Damjanovic joined Kitchee from South Korea’s Daegu FC having established himself as one of the leading strikers in Asian football during spells with FC Seoul, Beijing Guoan and Suwon Bluewings.