A former Taiwan men's coach was kicked out of a Women's Asian Cup match in Australia for leading chants of "Taiwan" - literally the name of the team's home - in what appears to be another example of Chinese pressure reaching into sporting events on Australian soil.
The incident at the tournament, reported by The Guardian, raises serious questions about how far Beijing's influence extends in the region and whether Australian tournament organisers are willing to enforce Chinese political demands.
Mate, this is the Australia-China story that cuts through. A bloke gets thrown out of a match in Australia for supporting a team by chanting its actual name.
The contrast with how other teams are treated is stark. Iranian supporters have been free to chant for their team. Other nations' fans face no restrictions. But chanting "Taiwan" - a statement of simple geographic fact - gets you ejected.
Tournament organisers reportedly acted under pressure and complaints from China. Beijing insists that Taiwan be referred to as "Chinese Taipei" in international sporting events and has a long history of pressuring organisations to comply with its terminology.
But here's the thing: this tournament is being held in Australia. On Australian soil. And yet Chinese political sensitivities are apparently determining who gets thrown out of matches.
The silence from Australian media has been deafening. The Guardian appears to be one of the few outlets covering the story, despite its significance for Australia-China relations and questions about sovereignty over sporting events held in the country.
For context: when Taiwan played in the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome, chants of nearly blew the roof off the stadium. No one was ejected. No one complained. Because doesn't let dictate what happens at sporting events on Japanese soil.
