A former Taiwanese football head coach and delegate of the Taiwan women’s national team was removed from their match at Parramatta Stadium on Tuesday night after leading the crowd in chants containing the word “Taiwan”.
Chen Kuei-jen, who represented Taiwan 11 times as a player in the 1990s and was head coach of the Taiwan men’s national team from 2012-2016, was spotted leading a small but boisterous group of fans in their final Women’s Asian Cup match against India.
Tiffany Chen, a Taiwanese fan in the stands, said Kuei-jen encouraged fans to congregate together to create a lively atmosphere in the mostly empty stadium.
“He was standing away from the aisle, having the time of his life,” Chen said. “Social media people from the tournament were taking videos of him and saying ‘this is such a great vibe!’”
Kuei-jen was approached by stadium security multiple times in the first half who asked him to sit down, which he did – and continued chanting. But towards the end of the first half, Kuei-jen was spoken to by officials who allegedly told him he could only chant the team’s official name, “Chinese Taipei”.
He was subsequently removed on to the stadium concourse by security, with video captured by witnesses showing an officer telling Kuei-jen that he was not allowed to sing “political chants”.
“This is what I’ve been told,” the officer said. “If you want to take it up with the AFC [Asian Football Confederation] later, you can.”
Witnesses were quickly moved on by security while police were called in to escort Kuei-jen from the stadium.
“We’re Taiwanese people, not Chinese Taipei people,” Chen said.
“With all the geopolitical history and tensions, there’s a reason why we have to compete as Chinese Taipei, but how can you censor a whole group of people chanting the name of their country? They already did a good job confiscating flags and shirts with ‘Taiwan’ on them.”
Beijing claims Taiwan as a province and has vowed to annex it under what it terms “reunification”. Taiwan’s democratically elected government and a growing majority of its people reject the prospect of Chinese rule, and both sides have been preparing for a potential war in coming decades.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Kuei-jen told fans that “everything is fine” and thanked “football fans and friends in Perth and Sydney for your support and encouragement. Let us keep advancing towards the World Cup.”
After the match, Taiwan football’s official Instagram account posted a story of Kuei-jen on the team bus, leading the same chant with the players who had just won the match against India 3-1 and qualified for the quarter-finals.
Lee Po-yi, a Taiwanese politician, told local media that he will be contacting Taiwan’s ministry of sport and the Australian embassy to demand an explanation from the tournament’s organisers.
The AFC and the Chinese Taipei Football Association did not respond to requests for comment, while the tournament’s local organising committee told Guardian Australia they are investigating the incident.
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