The U17 football team of Foshan Chaoying Experimental School in Guangdong recently won the championship in the “Banchao Cup” youth football tournament held in Rongjiang County, Guizhou. On the day of the victory, goalkeeper Zhang Xu live-streamed and made derogatory remarks about Guizhou, with some teammates even stepping on the trophy, which quickly spread online and sparked controversy.
Rongjiang hosted the second National Youth “Banchao” Football Tournament earlier this month, attracting teams from all over the country. On August 8th, Foshan Chaoying Experimental School won the U17 championship.
Zhang Xu, the 17-year-old goalkeeper of Foshan Chaoying Experimental School, posted a photo of himself stepping on the championship trophy after the game and made comments during the live broadcast online, calling Guizhou a “remote and impoverished place,” seemingly expressing dissatisfaction with the accommodation provided during the tournament.
In response to criticisms from netizens, Zhang Xu replied, “So what if I curse Guizhou? If you can’t beat us, then just endure it.”
After the related videos and screenshots spread rapidly online, Guizhou netizens and Guizhou natives living elsewhere expressed strong dissatisfaction. On the evening of August 12th, a group of Guizhou people gathered in front of Foshan Chaoying Experimental School in Guangdong with banners to protest, which gradually escalated to a group of dozens of people. The protesting Guizhou individuals faced off with the police across the street, shouting, “Guizhou, rise up.” (Video link)
According to a circulating video online, a large number of police forces were deployed to maintain order. A man claiming to be the deputy director of the Nanhai District Education Bureau stated that the school had released an apology video and requested the protesters to disperse.
As of the early morning of August 14th, the crowd at the protest site had not dispersed, and the police used a human wall to block off some roads.
On August 13th, official news from “Nanhai Education” stated that during the Banchao event in Rongjiang, individual students from Foshan Chaoying Experimental School made disrespectful gestures after the award ceremony, causing negative social impacts. The school was ordered to issue a public apology, students were required to submit written reflections, and their participation in future competitions was revoked.
In the evening of August 13th, the Nanshi District Committee and District Government of Foshan publicly apologized, stating that they had ordered relevant school officials to issue a public apology, dismissed the team coach, provided “serious criticism and education” to the students, and halted their participation in competitions.
However, the official report did not mention the protest gathering.