Chinese fans mock Canada’s World Cup opening ceremony after trophy malfunctions
Social media users also pointed out the large number of empty seats at the stadium and suggested that China should host all future tournaments
Canada’s World Cup opening ceremony sparked lively discussions among Chinese social media users after the event in Toronto was overshadowed by a technical glitch on Friday.
Making their debut as a host nation, Canada held the ceremony at BMO Field where a giant, inflatable World Cup trophy was positioned in the centre of the pitch.
The plan was to raise the trophy up from the stage and then lower it back down again, but the mechanism supporting it malfunctioned and the trophy deflated, forcing organisers to remove it from the pitch.
If that wasn’t enough, part of the covering around the trophy started to peel away, exposing the tubes inside.
With the opening ceremony broadcast live around the world, videos of the moment quickly went viral across social media platforms.
“Even the World Cup trophy is ‘leaking’, it seems only Mengniu can help pump you up,” read a comment from what appeared to be a staff account of the Chinese dairy giant, which is an official sponsor of the tournament.