On February 19th, Shandong Taishan suddenly withdrew from the “AFC Champions League” citing severe player health issues. However, reports suggest the real reason may be related to “little pink” fans raising a photo of the late South Korean dictator Chun Doo-hwan during the match, triggering South Korean fans to prepare to raise photos of the “June 4 Tiananmen Square Tank Man” in retaliation. Upon learning of this, the Chinese Embassy swiftly ordered the team to withdraw.
The match between Shandong Taishan and South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai FC was originally scheduled to take place on February 19th at 7 p.m. According to Yonhap News Agency, just about 2 hours before the game, Shandong Taishan Football Club suddenly decided to withdraw from the match.
Regarding the reason for the withdrawal, Shandong Taishan later posted on Weibo, stating, “Due to severe player health issues within the team, after evaluation by the medical team, the players were unable to form a team to participate.”
According to the competition rules of the 2024-2025 AFC Champions League, abandoning a single match is not allowed, and if a team chooses to forfeit, they must withdraw from the entire tournament. Shandong Taishan’s decision is seen as a withdrawal from the entire AFC Champions League.
However, according to reports from the United Morning Post and others, the reason given by Shandong Taishan is difficult to believe, and the real reason is believed to be concerns that South Korean fans, in retaliation for the Chun Doo-hwan photo incident, may display politically sensitive photos such as those related to the June 4th Tiananmen Square incident at the home game.
In a previous match between Shandong Taishan and South Korea’s Gwangju FC, many Chinese “little pink” fans raised photos of Chun Doo-hwan, attempting to mock and belittle their opponents with the tragic history of the “Gwangju Uprising,” which sparked strong resentment from the Gwangju FC and local residents.
Gwangju FC stated that this act cannot be simply viewed as a way for fans to cheer but rather as mocking and belittling Gwangju City and even the whole of South Korea. The club plans to file a complaint with the AFC.
In response, Shandong Taishan issued a public apology on February 14th. However, it seems that South Korean fans are not receptive to the apology.
According to reports from Hong Kong media, South Korean fans are reportedly ready to retaliate by raising politically sensitive photos including those related to the June 4th Tiananmen Square incident during the match between Ulsan Hyundai FC and Shandong Men’s Football team that evening. Rumors circulated that after learning of this, the Chinese Embassy urgently ordered Shandong Taishan to withdraw from the match.
This incident has sparked criticism from many Chinese netizens, with comments such as “Let them raise photos, without any self-awareness,” “Now, all foreign teams know how to deal with you,” “You are so easily triggered, yet you provoke others, keep pushing,” and “And it could affect other sports competitions, the Pandora’s box has been opened.”