Chinese fans will behave for Asia Cup final: CFA
Chinese fans will behave for Asia Cup final: CFA
Agencies, Beijing
Chinese fans will behave when the hosts take on bitter rivals Japan in the Asian Cup final on Saturday, but a small minority may make their voices heard, a China Football Association (CFA) official said.
"Most fans will definitely respect the visiting team. Of course they may be one or two individuals who are not polite," CFA media officer Dong Hua said.
He insisted that the majority of the 65,000 crowd in Beijing would not be hostile towards holder Japan, who has been booed relentlessly in China where emotions still run high over Japanese military aggression in the country from the 1930s until the end of World War Two.
"I do not think there will be problem, Dong said. "There will be lots of fans supporting China, but I do not think they will be too impolite.
Japan played four matches in Chongqing and its semifinal was in Jinan. In Chongqing, Japanese fans were pelted with plastic bottles, prompting organizers to heighten security.
The CFA has appealed to fans to show restraint towards the Japanese in what could be an explosive match, watched by more than 500 million people worldwide.
"The CFA has always demanded that fans respect the referee and respect the visiting team," Dong said. "Definitely, most fans will adhere to that.
"We know what happened in Chongqing, but fans in Beijing have never treated an away team like that."
Asian Cup security will also be on a heightened state of alert for Saturday's final.
More than 6,000 security officials will be deployed, including riot police, soldiers and SWAT teams for a potentially explosive game full of historical and political overtones.
"We have advised security staff to take extra care for the Japanese team and fans," Peter Velappan, general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), told Reuters.
"Japanese fans will be seated together in a special marked area and given extra protection from police in plain clothes to make sure there are no missiles thrown."
The Japan team has been booed relentlessly during the Asian Cup, its team bus even being rushed by hordes of Chinese fans after one match.
"As it is China against Japan there will be a very high level of security inside and outside the stadium," said Velappan.
"Japanese fans have not been encouraged to come to China, but we have been assured they will be safe and secure."
Extra security has also been laid on for the Japan squad in and around its Beijing hotel, with tough screening measures in place.
At least 2,000 Japanese fans are expected to have tickets for the final in Beijing. The venue holds 65,000.
Separately, Bahrain and Iran were battling exhaustion and bitter disappointment as they tried to pick themselves up for a crack at the wooden spoon in the third place Asian Cup play-off game on Friday.
Both teams came desperately close to making the showpiece final but have instead had to settle for the altogether lower key event at Beijing's Workers' Stadium.
"In this tournament, it will be better to get third than fourth," said Iranian coach Branko Ivankovic, but acknowledged that it could be one match too far for his weary squad.
"This will not be easy because the players are disappointed, they were so close to the final," he said.
Bahraini coach Srecko Juricic, like Ivankovic a Croat, says his players were also tired, having been shuttled between Beijing, Jinan, Chengdu and then back to Beijing for their matches.
But he insisted one last effort would be made.