Stateless and stranded in Hong Kong, a footballer’s career is at risk after UK Home Office blunder

Vas Nunez should be in Guangzhou training for Hong Kong Premier League side R&F’s next football match. But instead the 22-year-old has been holed up in Hong Kong hotels and sleeping on his brother’s sofa for nearly a fortnight.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Nunez is fluent in Cantonese and has lived in the city for most of his life. But now a paperwork error by British bureaucrats in the gifted centre back’s passport application has left him stranded, stateless and staring at what could be a premature end to a promising career.

“I’ve had to leave my team in China and will miss countless training sessions and games because I’m stuck in Hong Kong with no nationality,” said Nunez.

“I have to negotiate and sign a new contract for next season, but because of this it’s put everything in jeopardy.”

A commanding defender at R&F, Nunez – who has a Mexican mother and an English father – wanted to represent the place he considers home at the Asian Games this summer in Indonesia, where Hong Kong will field an under-23 side.