Kitchee defender Jay Haddow considering Hong Kong passport, flourishing after summer move
The dual British-Japanese national making a bright start with Kitchee after leaving Blackburn Rovers at the end of last season
Jay Haddow said it was “highly possible” he would acquire a Hong Kong passport after “developing a lot” following his summer move to Kitchee.
Defender Haddow, 20, who spent the opening 12 years of his life in Hong Kong, has dual British and Japanese nationality, and played for Japan under-19s in the 2022 Toulon Tournament.
He returned to Hong Kong in July, following eight years on the books of Blackburn Rovers in England.
On Saturday, Haddow made his second Kitchee appearance in an 8-0 drubbing of BC Rangers at Mong Kok Stadium. He sat out the previous week’s 1-1 draw with Southern as head coach Edgar Cardoso rotated his foreign contingent.
And while Haddow acknowledged “it would be a great honour to play for Hong Kong”, his primary motivation for considering the passport change stems from a hunger for action with Kitchee.
“The most important thing is potentially becoming a local player for my club – I wouldn’t have to fight a battle against the other foreigners to even get in the squad,” Haddow said.