The Chinese Football Association has issues to address beyond just the Tianjin division.

By Cheng Shan In the two days following the 17th round of the Chinese Super League, the incident involving Wei Shihao being verbally abused by fans using a loudspeaker during the match between Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Chengdu Rongcheng has remained a hot topic. It not only sparked discussions among football media and fans but also led several fans from Anhui and Chengdu to call the Tianjin police, demanding strict punishment for the Tianjin fan who publicly insulted the family of a professional player.

In response to this rare public outcry, the Chinese Football Association quickly took action. They first issued a statement strongly condemning such behavior, while also requiring all clubs under their jurisdiction to disseminate related notifications and take heed. At the same time, they ordered the Tianjin Football Association and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger Club to cooperate with the police investigation and reflect deeply on the matter.

As of the time of this report, the individual involved, Jiang, has been administratively detained for 7 days and banned from attending matches. The disciplinary and ethics committee of the Chinese Football Association also imposed penalties on the Tianjin division, which included a public reprimand and a one-match empty stand penalty for the section corresponding to Jiang's fan club.

On July 18, 2025, during the 17th round match of the Chinese Super League between Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Chengdu Rongcheng, Jiang, a member of the South Stand "Tiger Wing Support Group," led the crowd in insulting Chengdu Rongcheng player Wei Shihao and his wife using loudspeakers during the pre-match warm-up and throughout the game. This behavior caused Wei Shihao to lose his composure and, in the 85th minute, he rushed toward the stands to confront the situation, receiving a yellow card from the referee. Subsequently, in the 92nd minute, after stepping on goalkeeper Yan Bingliang's back during a scramble, he received a second yellow card and was sent off, leaving the field in tears.

Although Tianjin Jinmen Tiger ultimately won the match 2-1 against Chengdu Rongcheng, the severe verbal abuse incident that occurred during the game quickly became a trending topic on Weibo, drawing significant media and fan attention. Many condemned this behavior, asserting that it had a profoundly negative impact on the Chinese Super League. After the match, numerous fans even contacted the Tianjin police to report the incident. Even after some fans posted recordings of the reporting process online, the situation did not calm down. Discussions about this incident persisted even during the Beijing-Shanghai showdown on the night of the 19th.

After all matches of the 17th round concluded, at 0:37 AM on the 20th, the Chinese Football Association issued a statement: “Recently, during a Chinese Super League match, fans directed limitless insults and abuse at professional players and their families, severely tarnishing the spirit of football and disrupting the order of the professional league, resulting in extremely negative social impacts. Any insults directed at players and their families are a desecration of the spirit of football and completely deviate from the essence of football culture. The Chinese Football Association firmly opposes this and strongly condemns such actions.” Although the statement did not explicitly target the match between Jinmen Tiger and Rongcheng, everyone understood who it was aimed at.

It is reported that in this statement, the Chinese Football Association requested that all clubs acknowledge and disseminate it, and this was just the beginning. Later that evening, the Tianjin Football Association issued a notice stating that the police had intervened in the matter and announced the punishment results: “During the match between Tianjin Jinmen Tiger Football Club and Chengdu Rongcheng Football Club in the 17th round of the 2025 Chinese Super League, fans were found to be insulting players, which seriously violates sportsmanship and public order, causing adverse effects. The Tianjin Football Association and the Binhai Branch of Tianjin Public Security Bureau take this matter seriously, firmly oppose it, and strongly condemn such actions! Following an investigation by the Binhai Branch of Tianjin Public Security Bureau, Jiang, as the leading fan shouting person, was found to have led the abuse of players at the match, causing severe negative impacts. According to the relevant provisions of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law of the People's Republic of China, Jiang has been administratively detained for seven days and banned from attending matches.”

On the morning of the 21st, the Chinese Football Association announced penalties for violations and misconduct in the Tianjin division (Tianjin Jinmen Tiger Football Club's home games): based on Articles 88 and 14 of the Disciplinary and Ethical Guidelines of the Chinese Football Professional League, two penalties were imposed on the Tianjin division: first, a public reprimand for the Tianjin division of the Chinese Super League (Tianjin Jinmen Tiger Football Club's home games); second, a one-match empty stand penalty for the South Stand D110 and D111 sections corresponding to the "Tiger Wing Support Group."

The swift decision by the Chinese Football Association to impose penalties was not only due to the extremely negative impact of this incident but also because on July 16, they had just held a mid-term summary meeting of the 2025 season Chinese Football Professional League and a warning educational meeting on conduct and discipline in Beijing, attended by approximately 2,000 participants, including member associations from various divisions, staff from 52 professional clubs, and players and coaches from first teams.

During the meeting, Lu Xiaolan, the secretary of the discipline committee of the Chinese Football Association, reported on the disciplinary measures and typical cases from the first half of the season. As of the meeting, the discipline and ethics committee had held 32 various meetings and made 55 penalty decisions. Lu Xiaolan particularly analyzed four types of common violations: (1) Violent behavior at the venue; (2) Improper conduct towards match officials; (3) Noncompliance with official match procedures and delays; (4) Issues related to venue order management. Statistics show that violations in the China League and China League Two have significantly decreased, with the China League seeing a reduction of 53%. From the content of the meeting, venue order management is also a crucial aspect, with the chairman of the Chinese Football Association, Li Kemin, emphasizing that the construction of conduct is a lifeline and bottom line for the football industry. The Chinese Football Association will insist on conduct construction as the key, leading all clubs to focus on this and jointly create a healthy development ecology for the professional league. The public insults directed at players' families in the Chinese Super League severely tarnish football civilization, disrupt the order of the professional league, and result in extremely negative social impacts. Any insults directed at players and their families are a desecration of the spirit of football and completely deviate from the essence of football culture. This is something the Chinese Football Association must address.

On the 20th, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger Club officially stated that they “firmly support and cooperate with the police investigation” and emphasized that they would further regulate match attendance order and improve the viewing environment in accordance with the requirements of the Chinese Football Association and the Chinese Football Association. However, the relevant penalties are not only directed at Tianjin Jinmen Tiger; by the afternoon of the 21st, other professional football clubs began to issue proposals for civilized match attendance, with Qingdao West Coast's proposal detailing prohibited and restricted items, while Shanghai Shenhua's proposal included joint signatures from the club and all fan associations.

Following the joint evidence collection and case handling by the Chinese Football Association, local football associations, and the police, the entire industry is now aware of the determination of the Chinese Football Association to “unite with relevant departments” to fully resist and combat all provocations, insults, slanders, incitements, and violent behaviors both inside and outside the venue. The professional league of Chinese football desperately needs a positive atmosphere and good energy!