Tai Po Football Club and Gabriel Mesquita agreed to end his contract with immediate effect on October 13, after the club completed an internal disciplinary process over reported racist and insulting social-media remarks.
The club said its Disciplinary Committee investigated the incident under its internal rules and contract terms, heard Mesquita’s account and assessed the impact before reaching the decision.
HK01 reported that the exchange followed a post in which Mesquita said he was applying for a Hong Kong identity card. A social-media user privately messaged him, and screenshots described by the outlet showed Mesquita replying with insults, including that he did not want to become Chinese and that he wanted to take money from the user’s country.
RTHK reported that Mesquita had been suspended from first-team training since October 12. The 19-year-old Brazilian midfielder had made two appearances for Tai Po since joining the club that summer.
The club said Mesquita expressed deep remorse to its committee and apologised to affected fans and the wider public. It reiterated its zero-tolerance policy on racism and improper conduct.