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Paul McNamara

Charlie Scott said he felt like he was “locked in prison” and treated with no respect during a hellish six months with Indonesian football club Semen Padang.
Midfielder Scott joined Padang from Kitchee before this season, but made only seven appearances and “fell out of love with football” before completing a revitalising transfer to Boeung Ket in Cambodia last week.
The former Manchester United player reluctantly left Hong Kong club Kitchee after they delayed contract negotiations.
“I was thinking of staying in Hong Kong and maybe taking the passport,” said Scott, who had been in the city for four years. “I felt in the dark and not valued, I couldn’t wait any longer and had to do what was best for me.”












View this post on Instagram























A post shared by Charlie Scott (@_charliescottt)



Scott and his partner, the former ontv presenter Wu Yan-ching, married in June, before moving to Indonesia.
“From the day we arrived, we knew we would suffer a bit, but nowhere near as much as we did,” Scott told the Post. “All the players lived in the same complex.
“We had a little house, with the training field outside the front doorstep. We would train at 6am or 3pm, I’d walk out of our door onto the pitch, then be straight back into the house when we finished.
“There was nowhere to explore outside. There were very few English speakers and not much that was Western. It was a completely different culture and environment from Hong Kong.
“Being locked in all day, with nothing to do, drives you insane. We felt like we were locked in prison and trapped there with no escape.”
Scott had been in Indonesia only three weeks when he was struck down with blood poisoning.
“I spent a week in hospital and was in a bad way,” he said. “It took a few weeks to recover my fitness and strength.”
Subsequently, Scott was substituted in five of the seven games he started. The nadir arrived in late October, when manager Eduardo Almeida, who had recently replaced the fired Hendri Susilo, withdrew the player when Padang trailed Dewa United 2-0 after 29 minutes. They lost 8-1 and Scott did not figure again.
“I’d be taken off for no reason and felt I was used as a scapegoat,” said Scott, who was also taken aback by the level of “abuse” from fans.
“I lost my love for football, it’s hard to stay motivated when you feel you’re being treated with no respect and not given the opportunity to show what you’re capable of doing.
“Other players would ask why I wasn’t playing, but I had no answers, because no one would tell me. I would have liked more communication, but they force you out.
“I had to remain professional and give my best every day, but it was difficult to keep going, when your family and friends are elsewhere and celebrating birthdays and Christmas, and you feel like you’re trapped in prison.”
Scott’s wife discovered she was pregnant with the couple’s first child, a girl due in early March, soon after arriving in Indonesia.
“We knew it was not the ideal place to bring up a child, so we hoped to move in December or January,” Scott said.
“I would travel to play, which was a bit of an escape, but my wife was pregnant and locked in the house all day, which wasn’t fair.”
Scott said the plight of close friend Marcus Rashford, who is out in the cold at Manchester United, showed “most players go through tough times”.
“You have to keep going,” Scott added.












View this post on Instagram























A post shared by Charlie Scott (@_charliescottt)



Scott spoke to Eastern head coach Roberto Losada about a return to Hong Kong, but the club’s bosses decided they did not want to add another foreigner. Lee Man “weren’t interested”, while accepting an offer from BC Rangers “would have felt like too much of a step back”.
“I think I will be back in the future, but I need an opportunity and they are not easy to find,” Scott said.
The 27-year-old, who has shaved off his familiar blond hair since leaving Hong Kong, because “it got to the point where I’d been hanging on to it too long, so it’s one less thing to worry about”, could make his Boeung Ket debut against Svay Rieng on Sunday.
“We’ve only been here a week, but we love it,” said Scott, whose club are located in capital city Phnom Penh. “I can feel the vibe here, if you really enjoy where you’re living, you enjoy it on the field.
“I know what I’m capable of and want to prove it to people who don’t know.”


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Sport

Football

Charlie Scott left Kitchee at end of last season after club failed to offer him new contract and is now playing in Cambodia


Charlie Scott left Kitchee at end of last season after club failed to offer him new contract and is now playing in Cambodia.


Hong Kong Premier League