The State Sports General Administration of China recently stated that it will strengthen the management of football players, prohibit the national team and U23 national team athletes from having new tattoos, and persuade those with tattoos to remove their tattoos by themselves, which has triggered heated discussions on the Internet.
Some netizens questioned this measure, believing that the tattoo has nothing to do with the athlete’s performance. But supporters believe that the national football tattoos are not good, especially since the Chinese men’s football performance has not been able to rise for many years.
new rule
On Tuesday (December 28), the General Administration of Sport of China issued a document on its official website in response to the “Proposal on the Urgent Proposal for the Revitalization of Chinese Football”, which mentioned that the Chinese Football Association has revised the “Administrative Measures for Athletes of the National Team of the Chinese Football Association”. The athletes put forward clear disciplinary requirements.
According to the document, among the specific requirements for national team athletes at all levels, the national team and U23 national team athletes are strictly prohibited from having new tattoos, and those with tattoos are advised to remove their tattoos by themselves. If there are special circumstances, they must be trained and approved by the team. The tattoos will be covered during the game; for U20 national teams and lower national teams, it is strictly forbidden to recruit athletes with tattoos.
In 2019, the New York Times reported that China had issued a semi-formal order prohibiting football players from national teams and domestic competitions from showing tattoos during matches.
China’s “Football News” reported that at the China Cup at the end of March 2018, football players from countries such as Wei Shihao, Gao Lin and He Chao were in the game, either with tape wrapped around their hands or wearing long-sleeved jerseys in order to cover their tattoos. “Football News” is a subsidiary of Guangzhou Daily Newspaper Group.
The report said: “At that time, Zhang Linpeng was originally selected for the China Cup list and everyone went to Nanning (training base), but suddenly announced that he would withdraw because of his too many tattoos. It is reported that there are other players because of tattoos and hair. The problem was removed from the China Cup list.”
dispute
CCTV football commentator Han Qiaosheng commented on Weibo that three years ago, China had a similar regulation. With the advent of naturalization, this regulation has been “flooded.”
“I want to cover it briefly this time, but it won’t work. There must be a prerequisite, that is, there are special circumstances, and the national football team must agree to continue the game and training after the cover. Objectively speaking, the tattoo is not easy to remove, it depends on the nationals themselves. How to deal with it.” He said.
He also pointed out that Zhang Linpeng, Wei Shihao, Zhang Xizhe, Li Ke and Wang Dalei also have tattoos in the National Football Team. Next month, the National Football Association announces a new list, which is the first major list after the new head coach Li Xiaopeng of the National Football Association takes office. Whether these tattooed players can be selected for the National Football Team attracts attention.
This time the regulations have aroused many criticisms on the Internet. Some netizens believe that the tattoo has nothing to do with performance, and the Chinese authorities’ approach is unreasonable.
“Tattoos do not mean that this person is bad. What really depends on his personal qualities and personal cultivation. There is also football skills. If tattooed players are prohibited from entering the national team, then Messi should never be called up if he is a Chinese. Now, is this reasonable?” Weibo netizen “veteran cadre of Ju Committee” commented.
However, some netizens believe that the national football tattoos are not popular.
Weibo netizen “No problem with bananas” said: “National football players generally have a bad atmosphere of tattooing. In addition, the national team’s performance is not good, so the outside world is particularly disgusted with the phenomenon of national football tattoos (of course, if the national football scores are good, It’s a different story.) Look at the Japanese national team. Not only do they play well, but they also clean themselves. This is a role model for teenagers.”