bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Paul McNamara

Former Hong Kong defender Clayton Afonso said the local football association “could do much more to help players”, two years after he was forced to quit his career in the city.
Afonso made one representative team appearance, in June 2021, but only after accepting a drastic pay cut at club side Eastern to obtain the insurance he needed to travel for World Cup qualifiers in Bahrain.
The 36-year-old, who played in Hong Kong for 12 years, eventually moved to England in May 2022, after a Covid-ruined season led to Eastern proposing a second salary reduction.
Brazil-born Afonso received his Hong Kong passport in 2017. His representative call-up coincided with the expiry of an Eastern contract that paid HK$75,000 (US$9,617) per month and covered rental expenses.
Confronted with the prospect of missing the trip to Bahrain, for games against Iran, Iraq and the hosts, he signed new terms worth HK$35,000 and half of his rent.
“I was trying to reach my dream, and did not think about anything else,” Afonso told the Post.
“I wanted to feel how it was to play for Hong Kong in a World Cup qualifier, even if there were no fans in the stadium [because of Covid]. I was just so excited to be part of the team. My wife was initially a bit annoyed [about accepting the contract], but she realised this was my dream and supported me.

“I was on the bench for the opening two matches, but it was amazing to be there. When I played, I was so happy.”
Afonso said Eastern did not exploit his predicament.
“The [financial] situation was bad everywhere, it wasn’t only me in this position,” he said.
Eastern could offer only lower terms after the early abandonment of the following 2021-22 campaign. Afonso, who won the 2015-16 title with the club, played his final game in January 2022. His wife and two young children went to England in March of the same year and he followed two months later.
“I really got down, because I felt I could not have done much more,” Afonso said. “I could not sleep thinking about my family, I was alone in Hong Kong and not knowing what was coming.
“[The local FA] definitely should [have helped], but I have not seen them help anyone, so I never expected it. They are really bad at helping players, they could do much more.”
On the eve of leaving Hong Kong, Afonso declined an offer to sign for Kitchee.
“Every single thing we owned was already in England,” he said. “I don’t know if I made the right choice, but it was too late.”

After relocating to Teddington, in London, Afonso joined now defunct St. Panteleimon in the English non-league. He now combines playing for Hillingdon Borough, in the 10th tier, with football coaching for a UK company.
Last season, Afonso was asked to return to Tai Po, where he spent three seasons immediately after coming to Hong Kong. He would have been paid around HK$35,000 per month, with no housing allowance. He earned similar 14 years ago, in addition to housing.
“I have to think about my family,” Afonso said. “On that salary, it would be impossible to go to Hong Kong with two children and pay for schools and housing.”
Afonso “knew zero about Hong Kong” when he leapt at the 2010 Tai Po move to escape Arctic temperatures in Japanese city Hachimantai, where he was playing for Unsommet.
He met his wife after two years, fell in love with the city and planned to stay indefinitely. Afonso’s matchworn Hong Kong jersey hangs on a wall of his parents’ home in Brazil.
“Hong Kong can give much more financially to improve everything in its football,” he said. “In England, I play at a low level, but every team has its own facilities.
“The time I had in Hong Kong was amazing. But for the pandemic, it could have been more.”


Chancy Cooke up for HKFC ‘fight against odds’ after rubbing shoulders with Premier League stars

Lee Man appoint Hong Kong boss Ashley Westwood’s assistant as head coach: sources

Hong Kong footballer’s ‘anguish’ over horror leg-break injury, vows to battle back

Leading Hong Kong coach says he’s ‘not good enough’ for city job, Tai Po on charge

Hong Kong Premier League

Ex-Hong Kong footballer reveals drastic salary cuts, criticises lack of FA support

Clayton Afonso (left) in action for Eastern against Kitchee in September 2020. Photo: Chan Kin-wa.

Afonso (far right) during his appearance for Hong Kong against Bahrain in 2021. Photo: HKFA.

Afonso (left) tangles with BC Rangers’ Tomas Maronesi during a 2020 Hong Kong FA Cup tie. Photo: Felix Wong

Jurgen Klopp has message for TV execs at Paralympics – and makes Taylor Swift comparison

Jurgen Klopp watches as a spectator during the badminton events at the Paralympics. Photo: dpa

Klopp said TV bosses should “show much more” of the Paralympic Games. Photo: AP

Czyz needs an unlikely sequence of events to reach the semi-finals following two group defeats. Photo: Reuters

Spurs star Son Heung-min’s father and brother fined over child abuse at football academy

Son Woong-jung (above), his elder son Son Heung-yun and another coach at his academy were accused of physically and verbally abusing a 12-year-old student. Photo: Handout

Son Heung-yun said he and younger brother Heung-min (above) were hit by their father “a lot when training”. Photo: EPA-EFE

Englishman Ashley Westwood named Hong Kong’s new football coach, and vows to entertain

FA chairman Eric Fok with new head coach Ashley Westwood on Wednesday. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Jorn Andersen resigned as Hong Kong head coach in May. Photo: Getty Images

New head coach Ashley Westwood speaks to media at Hong Kong Football Club. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Sport

Football

Clayton Afonso played for the city’s representative team in a 2021 World Cup qualifier, but achieving his dream came at a heavy cost


Clayton Afonso played for the city’s representative team in a 2021 World Cup qualifier, but achieving his dream came at a heavy cost.
