Hong Kong Premier League outfit Tai Po Football Club have dramatically torn up the contract of teenage Brazilian signing Gabriel Mesquita following a ferocious online racism scandal.
The nineteen-year-old defensive midfielder arrived at the club in July with high hopes for the new campaign. His stint in Asia has now ground to a sudden halt after toxic direct messages surfaced across social media channels, showing the player firing back at supporters with racially demeaning insults and boasting that he was only in town to strip money out of the region.
Club bosses acted swiftly on Monday by pulling the youngster from first-team training. Following an emergency hearing with the club’s disciplinary committee, Tai Po released a formal statement on Tuesday confirming they have parted ways with the teenager by mutual consent with immediate effect.
Provocation and Fury in Online Messages
The controversy exploded after Mesquita shared an image online regarding his application for a Hong Kong identity card.
The update drew hostile comments from online users, including one person who hurled the regional slur “gweilo” at the footballer.
Mesquita lost his cool in the private inbox exchanges that followed. Leaked screenshots showed the midfielder declaring that he had no desire to be Chinese, writing that he intended to take cash from the country, accompanied by demeaning racial and sexual insults.
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The user who originally shared the screenshots subsequently set their account to private, stating that they had spoken directly with Mesquita’s father and received an apology.
The public exposure of the messages triggered furious condemnation on football forums across Hong Kong and mainland China, leaving the club hierarchy with little choice but to take firm action.
Zero Tolerance For Discrimination
Tai Po chiefs moved decisively to distance the organisation from the youngster’s private outburst, emphasising that his views completely contradicted club standards.
The disciplinary committee completed its internal review under official club guidelines, giving Mesquita an opportunity to present his version of events before confirming his departure.
“Tai Po maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy against racism and improper conduct,” the club stated, making clear that respect remains the fundamental basis of professional sport.
Officials noted that the nineteen-year-old expressed deep regret during the formal hearing, offering sincere apologies to the fanbase and local community before signing the agreement to terminate his deal.
Mesquita leaves Hong Kong having made two appearances for the green-and-whites, with his social media profiles deleted in the wake of the fallout.
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