Their annual income is a tiny fraction of what Michael Essien or Emmanuel Adebayor might earn in a week in the English Premier League. Nevertheless, Hong Kong clubs are attracting a growing community of African soccer players eager to flee conflict and poverty in their home countries. 'The majority [of young men in Africa] want to play football. The pay is good. Everyone wants to earn money and have a big salary ... and all players want to travel, to get experience and earn more,' says Festus Baise, a 27-year-old Nigerian with Hong Kong First Division club Citizen. When Cameroon beat holders Argentina 1-0 in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup in Italy, it raised hopes of Africa's emergence as a force in soccer. Instead, worsening civil unrest and dire economic straits led to an exodus of players seeking a better life abroad. While a few top Africans recruited by elite European clubs earn big money, most struggle for a living in minor leagues. Baise tried his luck in Southeast Asia - Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand - before settling in Hong Kong five years ago. 'I'm working and playing. I'm happy. I hope I can stay after [living] so many years here,' says Baise, who has a Hong Kong girlfriend. 'The security is good. Hong Kong is more protected. There are no countries fighting countries. There is no fighting on the streets, robbery or things like that. Some places have serious [car] accidents everyday, but not Hong Kong.' There are now about 20 Africans playing for First Division clubs here, while lower division or amateur teams employ at least a dozen, says players' agent and financial consultant Barrie Tsui Woon. Tsui, 52, is a pioneer in introducing Africans to local soccer. It began in 2005 when he brought in a few foreign players to beef up his amateur team, River Plate, after they suffered a humiliating defeat by a team with expatriate recruits. An African friend running a mobile phone business in Chungking Mansions introduced him to several Ghanaians, Nigerians and Cameroonians trying to find a foothold in Hong Kong, and Tsui invited a few to join his team, paying them about HK$40 per match as 'transportation fee'. 'Every black person I've come across there claims to be footballer. You can't really tell whether they're professionals because all seem to play well,' he says. River Plate quickly recruited seven Africans. 'Then we were like an African team, which easily ran opposing teams off their feet,' says Tsui. Soon more Africans - most staying in Chungking Mansions or guest houses in To Kwa Wan while they try to land a job before their visas expire - were playing for other clubs. Most amateur teams now offer them about HK$100 a match, Tsui says. For second or third division matches, payment ranges between HK$200 and HK$300. Despite such meagre incomes, most Africans prefer to stay on. 'There's no way out for them in Africa. Everyone wants to travel ... and they look forward to life in developed countries,' says Tsui. He is a Fifa-registered players' agent, with contact details posted on the governing body's website, and receives calls everyday from players in Africa seeking help to move to Hong Kong. Many are naive 'village kids' with little idea of what awaits them. Two years ago, Tsui came across a 16-year-old named Frank who was left penniless after a fellow African in Hong Kong duped him into paying US$1,500 to secure a club contract. The teenager and two other would-be players he was rooming with were totally unprepared for the winter, so Tsui and his wife brought them old blankets and clothes. 'We were like the Red Cross,' Tsui recalls. Frank left the city after playing a few lower division games. Tsui says many people try to survive doing odd jobs, but some are forced to sleep rough in parks or abandoned warehouses. Those who land a job are often exploited by club owners, who keep them on short-term contracts. 'Many football bosses here don't think long-term and don't care about the plight of players,' says Tsui. Players often sign with one person running clubs in several divisions, in the hope of shining in the top league, but find themselves placed in a second division team where they're paid by the match, he says. 'The African players are treated like cheap labour.' Yaw Anane, a 26-year-old Ghanaian playing for the second division Rangers, says his fluctuating earnings are barely enough to make ends meet and he recently stopped sending money to his younger brother at home. 'I play a match, I win and take my money. There's no [monthly] salary,' says Anane, who lives with his Indonesian wife and their one-year-old son in a To Kwa Wan flat shared with another African player. 'You might get more [money] if the opponent is a big team. Sometimes [team managers] say the opposition is a small club and they can only give you that much. But no problem, I'm still living. My career isn't over yet.' To supplement his income, he now coaches children at a private academy while his wife works part-time at a hair salon. Anane is staying on in Hong Kong, for his 'big chance' to come along. His dream is to play in the China, Japan or Korea leagues, where the quality is higher and the pay better. 'In Ghana, if you don't play abroad, people think you're no good. That's why our country has more professionals in Europe.' Anane remains upbeat about his future, citing his wife and child as key motivators. 'The name of our son is Mawuli, which means 'God is with us',' says Anane. 'Life is rough. Sometimes you ask yourself, 'Why me?' But things will change again.' Prospects seem to be looking up as more First Division teams are hiring African players instead of more expensive imports. 'Hong Kong can be their new home,' says Andy Cheung Po-chun, coach of First Division team Wo Foo Tai Po. 'The quality of foreign players here isn't very high, and the Africans' quick and physical style suits our game. They're also relatively cheap compared with other foreign players, such as the highly regarded Brazilians. 'By Hong Kong standards, they're at the top in terms of technique and attitude. They behave professionally and take good care of themselves.' After two grim years in the lower divisions, Ghanaian player Christian Kwesi Annan has settled into his career with the close-knit Wo Foo Tai Po club. The 30-year-old has married a Hong Kong woman, become a father, and sees himself as a local, even handing out red packets to teammates and friends during the Lunar New Year. 'When you marry someone, you marry everything about her. The more I get to know my wife the more I get to know about Chinese culture. Culture is people's way of life,' Annan says. He dreams of playing for Hong Kong one day. 'I love Hong Kong and I hope it can do better in the future. It's not about now. The future is the most important thing.'