FIFA fined the Hong Kong Football Federation on Wednesday after local fans booed and whistled the Chinese national anthem at a World Cup qualifier against Iran.
The Disciplinary Commission of world football’s governing body handed the federation a 15,000 Swiss francs (13,700 euros) fine, reprimanding Hong Kong fans for “disturbance during national anthems; use of objects to transmit a message that is not appropriate for a sports events.”
Hong Kong fields an independent team but because it is an administrative region of China, the Chinese national anthem is played before matches.
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The territory has been engulfed by anti-Beijing demonstrations for months and China’s national anthem, ‘The March of the Volunteers’, was whistled by fans on 10 September, before Hong Kong lost 2-0 Iran, FIFA said.
Hong Kong is third in Group C of the Asia zone and after playing in Iraq on Wednesday; their next home game is against Bahrain on 14 November.
