MOFA protests unfair treatment of Taiwan fans at AFC Women's Asian Cup

Taipei, March 12 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Thursday said it has lodged an official protest with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) over the "unfair treatment" of Taiwanese soccer fans at a 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup match in Australia on Tuesday.

During Taiwan's 3-1 victory over India on Tuesday, former national team coach Chen Kuei-jen (陳貴人), who was sitting in the stands, was asked to leave Western Sydney Stadium after chanting "Go Go Taiwan."

• Taiwan into AFC Women's Asian Cup quarterfinals with win over India

In a statement, MOFA urged tournament organizers to "uphold human rights and the principles of fairness in the competition," adding it had sent a letter to the AFC protesting the "unfair treatment" of Taiwanese fans.

Chen, who traveled with the squad as an adviser to Taiwan's Ministry of Sports, told CNA after the game that staff first told him he could not stand up during the match to cheer for the national squad. Later, during halftime, four or five staff members asked him to leave the stadium.

He said he was "somewhat surprised," as it was the first time he had been asked to leave a stadium. However, he added that his game pass was not confiscated by event organizers, so he believed he could still attend the next game.

The AFC prohibits spectators from displaying political messages or imagery. According to reports, Chen's chant of "Go Go Taiwan" was interpreted as a political chant.

Taiwan Women's Football Players Association Secretary-General Chiao Chia-hung (焦佳弘), who was also at the match, told CNA that aside from the incident, many Taiwanese fans' placards were taken away before kickoff because they had Taiwanese players' names and photos on them.

In a statement, the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) said the AFC had told it that fans should only refer to the team as "Chinese Taipei," Taiwan's official designation at the tournament.

Along with the win over India, Taiwan lost to Japan 2-0 and beat Vietnam 1-0 to finish second in Group C with a 2-1 record and automatically advance to the quarterfinals, where it will face China in Perth on March 14.