Hong Kong football player Michael Udebuluzor (right) vies for the ball against Xie Wenneng of China during the East Asian Cup match between the two sides on July 15, 2025 in Yongin, South Korea. Photo: VCG

Hong Kong football player Michael Udebuluzor on Thursday apologized for his post-match comments using a derogatory term referring to the Chinese national team fans, saying he never intended to offend anyone and that he regrets the hurt his words caused.

"I sincerely apologize for my post-match comments after the last match and I never intended to offend anyone and regret any hurt caused to our fans in China and Hong Kong, China," Udebuluzor said in a post on Instagram. 

Udebuluzor was caught using a derogatory term to refer to the Chinese mainland fans in his post-match speech to the Hong Kong fans following the Hong Kong team's 1-0 defeat to the Chinese national team on Tuesday at the East Asian Cup. 

He has been under huge social media fire from the Chinese mainland for his comment since Wednesday.

"I want to say sorry, truly sorry, sincerely sorry, I did not want to insult anybody," Udebuluzor said in a video in the Instagram post.

He said he will donate 20-25 percent of his salary next year to help talented kids to reach their football dreams, without elaborating where the kids will be from.

"By no means I'm saying China PR is bad or that the Chinese [mainland] fans are bad. The comments I made, I did not mean them at all," he added.

Udebuluzor's apology has partially soothed the online resentment against him, but some fans still question his sincerity. 

The 21-year-old was supposed to join the China League One club Suzhou Dongwu in July. Dongwu has not officially announced the transfer so far. 

The Global Times reached out to the Suzhou club and Hong Kong Football Association for a comment since Wednesday, but neither has responded as of press time.