By Mark Baber
November 2 – A row has erupted in Hong Kong over the upcoming world cup qualifier against China. In the first leg Hong Kong fans booed the national anthem, for the second leg the match has been switched to the Mong Kok Stadium (capacity 6,679) in place of the Hong Kong stadium (capacity 40,000).
The official reason for the use of the smaller venue is that the Hong Kong Stadium is having its pitch relaid, and is then playing host to a rugby sevens tournament and so will not be ready in time for the game.
This explanation has not been accepted by Hong Kong FA chief executive, Mark Sutcliffe who, writing on his personal blog, has pointed out the decision will cost the Hong Kong FA HK$3-4 million in lost ticket sales saying: “The Government has apparently relied on its own ‘experts’ in making this decision. Clearly and to some extent understandably, these experts have erred on the side of caution. Whether they have been ‘encouraged’ to do so or not, who knows? Let’s just say that my offer to bring in an expert from FIFA to provide an independent second opinion was not taken up.”
Since the handover of Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997, the current version of the Chinese national anthem ‘March of the Volunteers’ was adopted in Hong Kong’s Basic Law as the Hong Kong anthem – even before it was enshrined as in the constitution of the People’s Republic of China in 2004.
Stripped of its earlier references to the Communist Party and Chairman Mao, the anthem is regarded by many in China as an important tool for encouraging Hong Kong residents to feel patriotic about the motherland and is played in Hong Kong schools (in its Mandarin version) and on local TV networks.
Unfortunately, due to a number of factors including a clumsy marketing campaign by the Chinese FA which included a poster warning that the Hong Kong team “has people with black skin, yellow skin and white skin. For such a diverse team, be on guard!” political concerns over upcoming elections which China is only allowing pro-Beijing candidates to contest, and tensions with some mainland visitors, some Hong Kong fans have taken to booing the ‘March of the Volunteers’ anthem before home games.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Code does not allow for free political expression inside football stadiums, with article 67 explicitly banning the “uttering of insulting words or sounds.” In practice this is very rarely enforced but the Disciplinary Committee has a very wide discretion in when and how to apply it. The Disciplinary Committee has decided to take action in this case – fining the Hong Kong FA for the supporters’ behaviour, under article 13 of the disciplinary code on the basis that an FA can be held responsible for supporter’s behaviour even where it has taken every possible precaution to stop it happening.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s actions in this case are being argued as emphasising patriotism as the only form of acceptable political expression, anda clamping down on freedom of expression. The imposition of punishments on the basis of group rather than individual responsibility are, of course, particularly interesting within the Chinese context.
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