https://www.scmp.com/rss/523403/feed The latest news and top stories on Inigo Calderon, the manager of the Hong Kong Premier League club Kitchee. Calderon played as a defender for Brighton & Hove Albion, and played for Alicante, Alavés, Anorthosis Famagusta. Born in Spain, Calderon's coaching career included assistant head coach for Alavés B and leading Brighton’s U18s. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Jay Haddow said that reflecting on his decision to surrender Japanese citizenship “was always tough”, but the talented defender is convinced that obtaining a Hong Kong passport was the right call. Naturalised after a prolonged process last July, Haddow supplied the cross for fellow Kitchee player Juninho to open the scoring against FC Seoul on Saturday, as Hong Kong won the Chinese New Year Cup on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. Born in Hong Kong to a Japanese mother and British... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3344254/hong-kong-footballer-jay-haddow-making-peace-sacrificing-japanese-passport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3344254/hong-kong-footballer-jay-haddow-making-peace-sacrificing-japanese-passport?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:27 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Kitchee have completed the statement capture of former Real Sociedad forward Martin Merquelanz, sending a message of intent to their pursuers at the local league summit. The 30-year-old Merquelanz, who was most recently with FC Andorra in the Spanish second tier, made the last of his 18 appearances for two-time La Liga champions Sociedad away at Atletico Madrid in May 2021. His senior debut for the club came as a substitute for now-Kitchee teammate Asier Illarramendi away against SD Eibar in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3342367/hong-kong-club-kitchee-sign-former-la-liga-attacker-martin-merquelanz-show-intent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3342367/hong-kong-club-kitchee-sign-former-la-liga-attacker-martin-merquelanz-show-intent?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:00:41 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Kitchee christened their new Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground home with a 4-2 victory over listless defending champions Tai Po on Sunday, underlining their resurgence under Inigo Calderon and opening up a nine-point gap at the local league summit. Not that Calderon, the head coach, was entirely happy after his side lost control of a game they led 4-0 at half-time. “We’re feeling bad after we beat the champions, which is good because that’s the level we want to reach, but we relaxed in the second half... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3341170/hong-kong-giants-kitchee-christen-new-home-style-leaving-champions-tai-po-muddle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3341170/hong-kong-giants-kitchee-christen-new-home-style-leaving-champions-tai-po-muddle?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 11:58:26 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara With the Hong Kong team set for a changing of the guard after the departure of head coach Ashley Westwood, a bright international future has been predicted for young Kitchee defender Jason Kam Chi-kin. Kam should be among the new wave of players pressing for recognition following the failure to reach the 2027 Asian Cup finals, according to Kitchee head coach Inigo Calderon. A poised display in the league leaders’ 1-0 win over Eastern District on Tuesday was the latest staging post in Kam’s... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3335085/kitchee-coach-sees-bright-international-future-jason-kam-defender-not-sure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3335085/kitchee-coach-sees-bright-international-future-jason-kam-defender-not-sure?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 00:00:17 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara After Inigo Calderon quit playing football in 2019, he planned to travel the world for a year, indulging his fondness for “going out and feeling free”. Instead, he ended up in management, and now finds himself in the Hong Kong Premier League, leading Kitchee’s resurgence. The 43-year-old threw himself into Hong Kong’s mountains and hiking trails to banish initial feelings of being stifled by the weather, crowds and noise, but he has begun generating plenty of commotion of his own. So ordinary... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3334616/not-typical-footballer-how-inigo-calderon-stands-out-hong-kong-crowd?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3334616/not-typical-footballer-how-inigo-calderon-stands-out-hong-kong-crowd?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 09:08:43 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Rejuvenated Kitchee survived a late Lee Man onslaught to claim a thrilling 3-2 victory over their big-spending rivals on Saturday. Goals from Kendy Ikegami, Yumemi Kanda and Adrian Revilla gave Kitchee a three-goal cushion after 74 minutes at a sodden Mong Kok Stadium. But Willian Gaucho’s deflected 83rd-minute strike gave Lee Man hope, and Kitchee right-back Law Tsz-chun turned a cross from Poon Pui-hin into his own net three minutes later to set up a grandstand finish. Kitchee, though,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3326258/hong-kong-premier-league-kitchee-survive-late-lee-man-fightback-5-goal-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3326258/hong-kong-premier-league-kitchee-survive-late-lee-man-fightback-5-goal-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Sep 2025 11:43:36 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Kitchee have staged a notable coup after completing the signing of former Real Madrid and Spain midfielder Asier Illarramendi. The 35-year-old featured 11 times in Madrid’s 2013-14 Champions League-winning campaign. In two seasons with the Spanish giants, he made 90 appearances under boss Carlo Ancelotti and also won the Club World Cup and Copa del Rey. Illarramendi spent most of his career with boyhood club Real Sociedad, playing more than 250 games in two spells either side of his time with... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3325108/former-real-madrid-and-spain-footballer-agrees-join-hong-kong-club?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3325108/former-real-madrid-and-spain-footballer-agrees-join-hong-kong-club?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 01:44:42 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Kitchee laid down a marker for the new Hong Kong Premier League campaign with a fully-merited 1-0 victory over Eastern in front of a bumper crowd on Friday night. The 2,706 attendance inside Mong Kok Stadium for a thoroughly watchable contest was larger than any gate for a top-flight game last season. Twelve-times champions Kitchee gave first starts to four of their summer signings, but it was Cheng Chin-lung, a 27-year-old graduate from the club’s youth system, who made the breakthrough after... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3323718/hong-kong-giants-kitchee-begin-premier-league-campaign-statement-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3323718/hong-kong-giants-kitchee-begin-premier-league-campaign-statement-success?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 15:00:19 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Champions Tai Po are geared up for a meeting with big-spending Lee Man on Saturday, as the new Hong Kong Premier League campaign gets under way with a bumper weekend of matches. Eastern District, who have joined what is now a 10-team top flight, will go to last season’s assured new boys Kowloon City on Sunday. The whole show gets on the road when Eastern host Kitchee on Friday at Mong Kok Stadium. North District, tipped by a lot of insiders for a vastly improved campaign, host Football Club on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3323588/hong-kong-premier-league-lee-man-pip-tai-po-title-more-silverware-eastern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3323588/hong-kong-premier-league-lee-man-pip-tai-po-title-more-silverware-eastern?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 09:30:08 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara More familiar with the inner workings of English football, Inigo Calderon has been juggling a crash course in the game in Hong Kong with the “more stressful” task of trying to find schools for his two young children. The former Brighton & Hove Albion defender was made Kitchee head coach on July 4, exactly two months after being sacked from his job with Bristol Rovers, who were relegated to League Two in April. With his family based in England, the 43-year-old initially felt the move east was... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3318896/ex-brighton-defender-calderon-juggles-kitchee-demands-stress-hong-kong-school-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3318896/ex-brighton-defender-calderon-juggles-kitchee-demands-stress-hong-kong-school-system?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:00:18 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara While Hong Kong’s best are in South Korea for the East Asian Football Championship, the city’s top clubs have been accelerating their preparations for the new campaign. Not that Tai Po, Eastern, Kitchee, Lee Man and the rest know precisely what they are readying themselves for. The local football association has confirmed Eastern District will be promoted into a new 10-team Premier League, as first reported by the Post. But there is no word on when the new campaign will begin or the design of... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3317480/hong-kong-football-clubs-dark-over-new-season-pushing-ahead-signings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3317480/hong-kong-football-clubs-dark-over-new-season-pushing-ahead-signings?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jul 2025 04:30:09 +0000