Hong Kong FA intervene in young talent’s BN(O) visa tangle, Tsang hoping for resolution to career crisis in England
- Ellison Tsang Yi-hang was a leading performer for Hong Kong under-23s during their improbable run to the Asian Games semi-finals
- The 20-year-old moved to England to study for a physiotherapy degree, and expected to be allowed to play semi-professional football in the country
The Football Association of Hong Kong, China [HKFA] is trying to come to the rescue of Ellison Tsang Yi-hang, whose career has run aground since he moved to England to study last year.
Defender Tsang was on the cusp of signing for FC United of Manchester, but 24 hours before a planned debut in February, discovered his registration had been blocked by the English Football Association.
Tsang, 20, had expected his British National (Overseas), or BN(O), visa to allow him to play semi-professionally. He subsequently learned he would need an international sportsperson visa [ISV] to play for seventh-tier FC United, because the English governing body considers them a professional club.
He has played competitively only twice since the bronze medal match at the Asian competition on October 7. Both appearances came for Hong Kong in the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup, on January 31, and February 7.
Jorn Andersen, the Hong Kong head coach, says Tsang “has talent … and can compete at a high level”.