A Chinese soccer coach can be seen slapping a referee after receiving a red card Sunday in a video that circulated widely on social media.
With his team down 1-0 just before halftime, Xin Duan was issued a red card for his sideline chatter, which seemingly prompted his explosive response.
“In the first half of the match … the leader of our club, disagreed with the referee’s decision and acted irrationally,” soccer team Liaoning Shenyang reportedly said of the incident. The team also stated Xin “violated the disciplinary guidelines of the CFA League,” according to Reuters. (RELATED: ‘We Embarrass Ourselves’: Biden Administration’s Recent China Trips Showed Weakness, Experts Say)
An incident in CL1(2nd division): in Liaoning Shenyang Urban’s 4:0 defeat to Nanjing City, Duan Xin, the head coach slapped the referee in the face after being shown red card. Subsequently, the 62-year-old coach fell to the ground and was taken away by ambulance. pic.twitter.com/aIZiKfmmhI
— China Sports Vision 2050 (@CSV2050) July 23, 2023
Xin, who reportedly passed out from anger following the incident, issued an apology to referee Chen Hao after being discharged from the hospital, according to Chinese media outlet Sohu. Xin reportedly apologized for his “irrational” behavior, saying his actions were due to overexcitement.
Following the match Liaoning Shenyang said “the management of our club has communicated with Xin Duan, who, along with the management of the first-team, has realized the gravity of the mistake,” Reuters noted.
Liaoning Shenyang went on to lose the match with Nanjing City 4-0, per Reuters.