China teen star badly beaten by adults during brawl in village football friendly
Altercation between Zhangjiajie side and Guangdong Mingtu under-16 academy team leaves one player with broken hand and injuries to face, body
A football friendly between adults and young teenagers in China descended into violence over the weekend, leaving one rising star of the national youth set-up with a broken hand and injuries to the face and body.
The assault during the exhibition match at a training ground in Guangzhou, between Zhangjiajie, a visiting team from Hunan that plays in the province’s village league, and the Guangdong Mingtu under-16 academy side, was sparked by what officials called a “verbal dispute”.
Video of the chaotic brawl, which shows a youth player being knocked to the ground, has been widely shared on social media. Police are investigating.
Local media identified 14-year-old Zhang Haoye, who represented China’s under-15s at the Tournament of Nations in Italy in April, as the player who was hurt.
Zhang reportedly sustained injuries to his head, nose, abdomen and groin during the clash, and fractured the fifth metacarpal in his right hand.
Guangdong Mingtu Football Club released a statement on Monday accusing Zhangjiajie personnel of “maliciously assaulting” its youth players.