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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.”


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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.

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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.
