Security Ejects Man for Leading ‘Team Taiwan’ Chant at Asian Cup Match
Udumbara
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A man has been forcibly ejected from Western Sydney’s CommBank Stadium for barracking (chanting a slogan) for “Team Taiwan” during a Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between the Taiwanese team and India.
Amateur footage reveals the altercation between Chen Kuei-jen, a delegate of the Taiwan women’s national team, and security staff working for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), who accused him of leading a “political chant.”
“We have no political chants, here and now. No,” he said.
The security member replied, “I’m just relaying what I’ve been told.”
Kuei-jen represented Taiwan 11 times as a player in the 1990s and was head coach of the country’s men’s team from 2012 to 2016.
He also thanked fans in Sydney for their support.
“Cheering for the national team and shouting the name of one’s own country should be the most basic and legitimate right and should not be restricted, much less arbitrarily erased,” he said.
“No matter where in the world Taiwanese athletes are, as long as they step onto the field, the people of Taiwan will support them wholeheartedly. Taiwan is our name, and it should not be diminished or silenced on the field.”
The MP said he will instruct the Taiwanese Ministry of Sports and the Australian Representative Office in Taiwan to “actively express their serious concerns to the Football Association of Australia.”
Taiwan will now face China in a quarterfinal match on Saturday (Mar. 14).
The Epoch Times contacted Football Australia for comment.
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