Fans barred from cheering ‘Taiwan’ during soccer matchBy Chen Cheng-yu and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan’s former national team head coach was reportedly removed from an AFC Women’s Asian Cup match in Sydney yesterday for cheering “Go Taiwan,” after organizers told fans to use the name “Chinese Taipei.”Taiwan defeated India 3-1 in the match, sending the nation’s women's soccer team to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Photo courtesy of the Chinese Taipei Football AssociationHowever, when fans of India’s team were standing, cheering and banging drums, the organizers did not restrict them in the same way, they said. Restricting the way fans cheer and forbidding them to say “Taiwan” goes beyond crowd management — it suppresses the basic rights and national identity of Taiwanese fans, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Po-yi (李柏毅) said. Cheering for one’s national team and shouting the country’s name should be the most basic, fundamental right, Lee said. No matter how challenging the international environment, the voices of Taiwanese cheering for their national team should not be silenced, Lee said.

Source: Taipei Times March 11, 2026 06:07 UTC