Alex Jojo questions European clubs’ ‘trust’ in Hong Kong’s footballers after Sweden stint
Right-back, who could make his representative team debut against Fiji on Sunday, explains why first appearance would ‘mean a hell of a lot’
Alex Jojo said it would be “extremely difficult” for a Hong Kong footballer to win over European club managers, because there is “not a level of trust” in players from the city.
Defender Jojo, who is in contention for a Hong Kong debut against Fiji on Sunday, made three substitute appearances during eight months with Swedish team IK Oddevold, before joining Eastern on loan for 2024-25.
The 25-year-old said Sweden’s playing standard was on a “completely different level” from Hong Kong’s. His hopes of getting up to speed on the field were dashed by an excess of right-backs and coach Rikard Nilsson retaining faith in players who had helped the club return to the second division after 26 years.
A member of the Hong Kong under-23 team’s Asian Games semi-finals campaign last year, Jojo said Eastern would provide a “platform to go again” in his career.
“It is extremely difficult for a Hong Kong player [to make it in Europe] – the Swedish second division was above, or around, the standard of the stronger Asian Games teams,” Jojo said.
“My club was low in the table, but we had players with 200 or 300 games in the top divisions in Sweden and Norway. I was close to breaking into the team, but I just needed a chance.
