On June 21, during a match between the youth team of Guangdong Mingtu Club, represented by the main player Zhang Haoye from the Chinese national youth team, and the adult team of Zhangjiajie Xiangchao from Hunan, Zhang Haoye was attacked by the opposing players, resulting in multiple injuries including a fractured palm bone and malicious kicking in the private area. The incident has sparked widespread attention online.
According to mainland Chinese media reports such as “Yangcheng Evening News” and “Jiupai News”, from June 12 to 22, the Zhangjiajie Xiangchao team from Hunan went to Foshan and Shenzhen in Guangdong for a 10-day closed training session.
On June 21, the Zhangjiajie Xiangchao team clashed with the Guangdong Mingtu U16 team at the Guangdong Mingtu Football Training Ground. Around the 70th minute of the match, a verbal altercation escalated into a physical confrontation between the two teams.
Video footage from the scene shows several adult players from Zhangjiajie surrounding and assaulting the young players from Guangdong Mingtu. During the altercation, a young player tried to escape but was blocked and continued to be beaten by the opposing team.
Reportedly, 14-year-old Zhang Haoye suffered the most severe injuries. He is one of the top players in China’s 2011 age group and in April of this year, he played as a starter midfielder in the U15 national team’s victory over the U15 team from Italy.
Hospital diagnosis reports show that Zhang Haoye sustained multiple injuries to his head, nose, abdomen, and right hand. His fifth metacarpal bone in the right hand (the bone connecting to the little finger) was fractured, and he also received malicious kicks in the private area. According to reports from Direct Bar, Zhang Haoye was only trying to intervene in the fight and was subsequently beaten, resulting in his injuries.
The incident has gained attention online, with many netizens criticizing the violence saying, “They’re not good at playing football, but they excel at fighting,” “Ha, this is the second fight in youth training recently,” “Can’t handle losing,” “This is just disgraceful and must be severely punished.”
In the early hours of June 22, Guangdong Mingtu Club issued a stern statement stating that all participating players were minors, while the opponents were an adult team. However, during the match, personnel from the Zhangjiajie team maliciously attacked the underage players of their team, causing physical and mental harm to the players. The club stated that they have preserved all evidence including match videos and on-site testimonies, and will hold those responsible through industry complaints and legal means.
In the evening of June 22, the Hunan Football Association released a statement announcing the immediate suspension of all individuals involved in the incident from participating in any football activities within Hunan province. They also stated that any potential violations of laws and regulations in this incident will be seriously dealt with in accordance with the law.