Football players with tattoos from China will be excluded from the national team selection in the future.
According to foreign media such as CNN on the 30th of last month in local time, the General Administration of Sports of China (GAS) announced the 'Guidelines for Reinforcing Management of Soccer Players' on the 28th and imposed a 'ban on tattoos' for national soccer players.
GAS said, "Adult national team and U-23 players must not have new tattoos. Players who already have tattoos should remove them themselves."
He added, "If you can't remove it due to special circumstances, you must obtain the consent of your teammates and coach and cover your tattoos during training and matches."
In addition, GAS has banned players with tattoos from the under-20 (U-20) and younger national teams.
▲ China national football team defender Zhang Linfeng
GAS emphasized, "If players remove or cover their tattoos, they will set a good example for society."
According to the guidelines issued by GAS, 'patriotism education should be strengthened for national team players.
Then, the sense of duty and responsibility will increase, and the performance will also improve.”
According to Reuters, the number of players with tattoos on the Chinese national football team, including defender Zhang Linfeng (Guangzhou Evergrande), is on the rise.
Soccer fans reacted in various ways to China's tattoo ban, such as "unnecessary discipline", "absurd policy that infringes on individual freedom", and "even Messi can't play in China."
This is a 'news pick'.
(Photo=Guangzhou Evergrande Club website)