On the evening of July 20, the 24th round of the Chinese Super League match between Wuhan Sanzhen and Chengdu Rongcheng set off a wave of waves at home, with many "sparks" appearing one after another. These "sparks" may lead to a series of new problems, and may even lead to heavy fines from the Football Association. Ren Hang, the captain of Wuhan Sanzhen, has become the center of attention.
The central controversy faced by Renhang occurred in the 77th minute when Felipe and Park Ji-soo collided in a scramble for an overhead kick and both fell to the ground, which then triggered a heated clash between the two players. The referee showed yellow cards to Felipe, Li Yang and Renhang. In the 85th minute, Ren Hang received a second yellow card when he fell on Felipe in the penalty area, turning two yellows into one red.
Even though he was penalized with a red card, Ren Hang's actions were still considered part of the game. If you look at the game's proceedings alone, it seems that Ren Hang had little to do with these "sparks". However, after the match, Ren Hang was agitated by the content of his chat with netizen Dai & Lin.
According to a well-known media source, the conversation between Ren Hang and Dai & Lin centered around two points: first, dissatisfaction with the two yellow cards given by the referee during the game; and second, sarcasm towards the opposing players as "city management". Ren Hang insisted that he had nothing to do with the clash between the two players and should not have been given a yellow card (he said bluntly: "What does the first yellow card have to do with me? The No. 25 player was looking for a theory on the field and the referee didn't say a word"). . Dai&Lin responded, "Luckily the No.25 player didn't meet me." Dai & Lin responded, "Luckily player 25 didn't run into me," and teased Ren Hang, who was "heavily shadowed by the ball," as if he were a "city policeman". Dai & Lin appreciated this, and Ren Hang also laughed and said he was "wonderful".
So, who are the 25 players in Chengdu Hibiscus? How did they react after learning the content of Renhang's conversation with Dai & Lin? As it is not the centerpiece of this article, it is omitted here. But this incident was certainly one of the "sparks" that came out of the match, and it was quite interesting to watch.
According to Article 82 of the CFA Discipline (2024), making irresponsible comments and attacking match officials, players, clubs, etc. will face a minimum of one match suspension or a 10,000 yuan fine.
According to Ren Hang's chat logs, he committed at least two offenses: "making irresponsible comments related to the game" and "attacking other players". According to the disciplinary code, Ren Hang is likely to be suspended or fined by the FA.
Compared to a suspension or fine, Ren Hang's taunting behavior may be more serious and have a worse impact. His jokes were not only overly exaggerated, but were even suspected of "smearing" a specific industry. Moreover, the conversation between Renhang and Dai & Lin has been reposted by many media people, causing widespread concern and comments, and causing actual social impact, so is it "bad" enough?
Therefore, I believe that the FA's punishment for Ren Hang may not be limited to a one-match suspension or a $10,000 fine. The FA may consider Ren Hang's irresponsible comments to be of such a serious nature that it may take more severe punitive measures, such as a suspension of 10 to 8 matches or a fine of 108,000 yuan.
The incident is another reminder to players, teams and clubs that they need to be disciplined and avoid making casual match-related comments on social media, and in particular avoid deliberately attacking referees and opposing players.
In recent years, it is not uncommon for players, coaches or club investors to be penalized or even severely punished by the Football Association for illegal comments in the Chinese Super League and Chinese League A. We should also educate players and other staff to respect the referees, opponents and fans. As a club, we should also educate our players and other staff to respect the referees, opponents and fans, abide by the order of the league and work together to maintain the harmony of the league.
