Beijing censures soccer champion Hao Haidong for criticism of Party

In a video, the former national soccer team striker calls on the Chinese to "no longer be trampled by the Party", which must be "kicked out of humanity". He also suggested a "federal" form of government for China. All references to him and his wife, a former badminton champion, disappear.

Beijing (AsiaNews) – All trace of Hao Haidong, a soccer star in the 1990s and 2000s, has been erased from China's football history in an instant. The 50-year-old from Qingdao, who previously played on the People's Liberation Army team and has at least 100 caps as a striker on the Chinese national team, dared to offend the Chinese Communist Party and propose a "federal state" for his country.

For two days, all the records of news and feats about him and Weibo (the Chinese Twitter) and on the sports platforms (such as Sina Sports and Tencent Sports) have disappeared, along with his own account. Two days ago, on the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, Hao released a video on Guo Wengui's Youtube channel (a billionaire who fled China to the US). In a long interview, at one point he says: “I think the Chinese people should not be trampled upon by the Chinese Communist Party any more. I think this Communist Party should be kicked out of humanity. This is the conclusion I reached after 50 years of living".

Hao, who has lived abroad for several years, was known in the past for being a critic of football clubs, which treat players "like numbers", but had never made political judgments.

In another video, which appeared in the same days, he presents a "manifesto for the foundation of a Chinese Federation". The idea of ​​uniting China in federal states was debated before the founding of the People's Republic of China and even Mao Zedong, in seeking allies to fight the Japanese, had supported it. But after his seizure of power, Mao forgot that idea and preferred to govern the country with the dictatorship of the Single Party.

In the video of the "federal manifesto", Hao recalls the "atrocities" carried out by the Party, including the Tiananmen massacre and responsibilities for the spread of the pandemic. He also denounces widespread corruption in all aspects of social life, including in sport.

In the video, Hao appears next to his wife (photo 2), Ye Zhaoying, a former badminton champion from the 90s, in which she confesses that she pushed her husband to "go out and tell the truth". All information about her and her account have also disappeared from social media.