Hong Kong’s Police announced on Friday that three individuals were apprehended for sitting and turning away during the playing of China’s national anthem before Hong Kong’s home World Cup qualifier against Iran.
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, it competes independently in various international sports, including football.
Before 2020, football fans in Hong Kong would frequently boo the national anthem as a form of political protest. However, in response to widespread democracy protests in the city, the government implemented a ban on this practice as part of a larger crackdown.
At Hong Kong Stadium on Thursday, police reported the arrest of two men and a woman for “turning their backs toward the pitch and refusing to stand during the national anthem.”
The three individuals arrested were aged between 18 and 31. If convicted, they could face a maximum penalty of three years in jail and a fine of HK$50,000 ($6,400).
After already being eliminated from the next stage of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Hong Kong suffered a 4-2 defeat to Iran.
Amid the political upheavals of the 2010s, the Hong Kong team served as a symbol of civic pride and sometimes expressed anti-government sentiments.