Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday criticized the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) for removing a banner reading “All hail Formosa” raised on Sunday by fans during a qualifying match with Turkmenistan.
DPP Legislator Huang Kuo-shu (黃國書) criticized the banner’s removal, saying the Sports Administration should do a better job of advising the CTFA, adding that fans should not be censored when they are cheering for their team.
Huang, at a joint news conference in Taipei with DPP Legislator Chang Liang Wan-chien (張廖萬堅), also said that two volleyball players were unable to participate in the Asian Youth Championship in Chongqing, China, earlier this month, because Taiwan’s Volleyball Association failed to inform the players about changes to the qualification rules that have been in place for two years.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The volleyball association was ordered to explain the incident within a week, Sports Administration international and cross-straits division director Hsu Hsiu-ling (許秀玲) said.
Lin Yung-chen (林詠晨), head of the Ultras Formosa fan group whose banner was removed, said his group has been using the same banner for nearly 10 years and had not encountered any difficulties until last year.
Lin said the slogan is meant to cheer on Taiwanese teams, adding that Formosa is a historical Portuguese name for the nation.
“The name has even been used officially for the Taiwanese team at the Olympics,” Lin said. “If Guam’s soccer team can use that island’s native language and name their team ‘Matao,’ is it not strange to forbid the name ‘Formosa’?”
Lin said the CTFA failed to communicate their requirements before the match and refused to discuss the issue, adding that the association’s actions hurt the fans’ spirit.
Huang criticized the CTFA’s failure to “explain its actions from a strong stance,” adding that the administration should clarify what constitutes a “political slogan” and what is in line with Olympic conventions.
It should also stand firm in the face of international requirements that are unreasonable, Huang added.
Hsu said that “Formosa” is deemed a political slogan by the Asian Football Confederation, adding that the nation was fined US$4,000 for displaying a banner containing the word during an East Asia Cup qualifier against East Timor in October last year.
The administration has asked the CTFA to address the issue following Sunday’s incident, Hsu said, adding that Taiwan is not the only nation that has been fined by the confederation for similar breaches.
The lawmakers also talked about a fight that broke out at the International Ice Hockey Federation U18 World Championship in Taipei on Friday, after which two Chinese players were suspended for instigating the clash with Taiwanese players.
Huang accused the Sports Administration of failing to act as an intermediary between sports associations and fans.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their