bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

FANS OF THE CHINA men's football team lashed out at Czech Republic referee Miroslav Liba during a bitter quarter-final match against reigning Universiade champions Japan on Tuesday.

Japan won the game in a penalty shoot-out after both teams had bullied their way through a 1-1 draw.

Mainland fans said Liba had favoured the Japanese by unfairly handing out several yellow cards to China players.

'Why does he punish the China team and not the Japanese,' asked Han Jun, 23, a student from Beijing. 'He is a bad referee and all the China fans agree,' Han added.

The tone of the game was set right from the kick-off when China conceded a free kick for a reckless tackle.

The perpetrator, forward Wang Qiang, then angered Japanese players by standing over the ball to prevent them taking the kick. Liba had some harsh words for Wang, but to no avail. Just seconds later Wang was booked for another dangerous tackle.

Japan were more effective with their passing play, and opened up the China defence several times in the first half, much to the mainlanders' annoyance. In the seventh minute, forward Masato Yamazaki was hacked down in the six-yard box. Liba awarded a penalty and Yamazaki duly stepped up to slot it into the net.

China defender Liang Hao was the next to be cautioned by Liba, again for a late and dangerous tackle. The tension threatened to boil over, and China in particular seemed intent on aggravating their opponents. Midfielder Yuan Wei picked up a third yellow for China.

China scored the equaliser in the 63rd minute through substitute Wang Shegyu, and were unlucky not to get the winner in the dying seconds when Wang poked a ball towards an empty net, only to see it cleared off the line by an alert defender.

Fortune favoured the Japanese in the shoot-out. Goalkeeper Hitoshi Shiota was the hero, saving two kicks to send his team into today's semi-final. They will meet Morocco, who beat Thailand in a penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 draw in their quarter-final. The other semi-final is between Italy and the Czech Republic.

Japan and China clash again today in the women's football semi-finals. North Korea and Chinese Taipei contest the second semi-final. Both the men's and women's football finals are on Saturday.



Ref under fire as China lose