Tai Po Football Club has issued Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Mesquita a formal written warning and suspended him immediately from first-team training and matches after racist and insulting remarks were attributed to him in screenshots of an online exchange.
The reported exchange followed a post about Mesquita applying for a Hong Kong identity card. Screenshots show a user commenting on the post before Mesquita replied in private messages with language described as racist and insulting.
Tai Po said the remarks were Mesquita’s personal conduct and did not represent the club. It reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on racist and insulting speech and apologised to affected fans and the public. The commenter later apologised and said Mesquita’s father had privately apologised on his son’s behalf.
The club’s disciplinary committee will continue reviewing the matter, and Tai Po has reserved the right to take further action under Mesquita’s contract.