Jiangsu’s Late Cup Winner and a Brawl in Wuhan

Ge Wei’s injury-time header gave Jiangsu Suning a 1–0 win over Wuhan Hongxing in the third round of the Chinese FA Cup on May 11, 2016. The match in Wuhan also ended in a mass brawl, with Jiangsu players injured and violence spreading from the pitch to the bench. By May 13, Wuhan had released five players involved in the violence, while football authorities and police were investigating.

The late goal had broken a goalless match between Chinese Super League side Jiangsu and its hosts. Contemporary accounts differed on exactly when the fighting began: AFP placed the outbreak at Ge’s goal, while CCTV reported that violence broke out after the final whistle. Xinhua described both sides as involved in the melee. The accounts agreed that Wuhan players attacked members of the visiting team.

Jiangsu’s Xie Pengfei was knocked to the ground by several Wuhan players. Ge suffered a rib injury and scratches, and other Jiangsu players were hurt on and off the pitch. AFP described midfielder Wu Xi receiving a flying kick to the back, with punches thrown and people chasing one another across the field.

Jamie McIlroy, an English teacher who attended the match, told AFP: “I’ve never seen anything like it... The Wuhan bench just all ran on the pitch and started attacking the Jiangsu players.” He blamed Wuhan entirely. Wuhan club officials disputed sole responsibility: at an emergency meeting, they condemned the brawl and promised punishment, but said its cause could not be attributed to Wuhan alone.

Wuhan general manager Huang Chenggao apologised in an interview with Sina Sports, quoted by AFP, and said: “The players involved will be fired.” CCTV’s May 13 report said the club had since released five players involved in the violence and was cooperating with the Chinese Football Association’s investigation. It also reported that police had established a special team to identify fans involved.

The CFA called the incident a “very serious breach of discipline.” In a statement reported on May 12, it said a formal investigation had been launched and condemned violent, ill-disciplined or harmful actions on the pitch.

The injuries extended beyond the players. Jiangsu staff member Wu Bo had been recording the match from the stands when a group of people beat him, Xinhua reported; Jiangsu reporters were also assaulted. Jiangsu’s team left Wuhan by high-speed train immediately after the game. The winning scorer departed with a rib injury and scratches.