Disillusioned Chinese fans blamed the nation’s soccer authorities for the national side’s latest heavy defeats amid reports that the players have been banned from displaying tattoos.
Several players in the 6-0 thrashing by Wales last week and in Monday’s 4-1 defeat to the Czech Republic wore bandages or long sleeves on their arms, seemingly to hide tattoos.
Media reports said the players had been told to cover up while playing for China, who are coached by the Italian World Cup winner Marcello Lippi.
Photo: Reuters
China’s most heavily inked player, central defender Zhang Linpeng, did not feature in either of the two heavy home defeats in the China Cup, despite normally being a first choice.
He was officially left out because of injury, but some fans suggested he had been dropped because of numerous tattoos on his arms and on his neck.
Chinese players are not generally as heavily tattooed as their international counterparts, but the growing trend has caught the government’s attention as it cracks down on what it sees as behavior contrary to the Chinese Communist Party’s “values and morals.”
In Monday’s defeat by the Czech Republic, midfielder Cai Huikang wore long sleeves that covered up his tattoos and fellow substitute Wei Shihao had a bandage that masked the ink on one bicep.
There has been no official ban from the Chinese Football Association (CFA), but reports in local media said a ruling is imminent and it could be part of a larger move against Chinese sports stars with tattoos.
Lin Dan, regarded as the best badminton player of all time, is among the Chinese stars who would have to cover up.
China have improved since the 69-year-old Lippi took over in October 2016, but he was unable to get them to this summer’s FIFA World Cup finals and they have now suffered two heavy losses in five days in front of their own fans.
Lippi apologized after the latest mauling.
“The game truly reflected the gap between Chinese football and European football,” the Italian, who guided his country to World Cup glory in 2006, said. “Not only compared with European first-class teams like France, Spain and Germany, but also European teams like Wales and the Czech Republic, the gap is all-round.”
However, Chinese soccer supporters pointed the finger at the CFA and said the governing body should be more concerned with the state of the national team than the players’ tattoos.
“CFA finally found the problem of Chinese football! The next step should be controls on perms, smoking and haircuts,” one fan said on a microblogging site.
“They play like crap and don’t reflect why, but try to control tattoos,” another wrote.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that
RSS