What was supposedly a "light-hearted" poster campaign by the Chinese Football Association (CFA), to inspire its National Men's Football Team entering the World Cup qualifiers, has resulted in controversy and heckling of the Chinese National Anthem "March of the Volunteers" by Hong Kong football fans.

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The boos and jeers heard before the start of the Bhutan vs Hong Kong match only escalated the ongoing online tit-for-tat between Chinese Netizens and their Special Administrative Region (SAR) counterparts. Chinese social media sites were quickly filled with messages that expressed disgust over HK fan reaction with some calling them "separatists," and others promising to avenge the insults on September 3 when they meet in Shenzen. The two teams are bracketed in Group C in the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers together with Qatar, Maldives, and Bhutan.

South China Morning Post reported that one reason that could have triggered the negative uproar was from the CFA-released posters were uploaded on their official Weibo page. One of its graphics carried a copy that spoke directly to CFA supporters saying not to underestimate the Hong Kong team with players that have "black skin, yellow skin and white skin people." CFA explains the poster was meant to highlight HK's diverse, open, and inclusive culture that has made their team an international melting pot of sorts.

Hongkongers, however, viewed the message as a form of racial slur, and further added to the underlying conflict since the former British Colony was turned over to China rule in 1997. For their part, the Hong Kong premiere League answered with their own poster that called for support and proclaimed their "black, white, and yellow players" are all for a united Hong Kong according to Reuters.   

HK fans filled the Mong Kok Stadium with banners that read read "HK till I die" and "Hong Kong Power." The HK team was bolstered by naturalized players such as Jaimes Mckee from England and Christian Annan from Ghana. They went on to win their first World Cup qualifying match in eight years with a 7-0 drubbing of Bhutan.

After the match, HK Football Association (HKFA) chairman, Brian Leung Hung-tak, said the fan reaction was intolerable and appealed to his countrymen to show sportsmanship and to respect any national anthem. Global governing body, FIFA has a zero-tolerance policy on racism and has fined HKFA 30,000 Swiss Francs when HK fans similarly booed the Philippine National Anthem two years prior.

The New York Times explains the reaction may have just been another manifestation of some Hongkongers' resistance to partial Chinese control and their ongoing protest against Beijing's restrictive proposal on a new election framework.

TagsHong Kong, March of Volunteers, Fifa World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Bhutan, China-Hong Kong, Football, Hong Kong Football Association, Hong Kong Premier League, Jaimes Mckee, Christian Annan, netizens, netizens, Brian Leung Hung-tak