Hong Kong national soccer squad goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai posted on social media that Chinese captain Zheng Zhi called him “a dog” after the heated World Cup qualifier match in Shenzhen last Thursday that resulted in a 0-0 draw. Zheng has denied the accusation and accused Yapp of faking an injury.
The Hong Kong goalkeeper posted this picture on his Instagram account after the match. The caption reads:
“We did it! And our team was only defending, and you call me dog just because you couldn’t win! Mr. Asian Footballer of the Year, your skills are good, but not your personality!” (「我地做到了！仲有，我地香港隊係一心防守！自己贏唔到唔順氣走黎話我係狗！亞洲足球先生，你係好波，但你既球品就完全唔得！」)
Screenshots of the match seem to show Yapp lying next to the goal in extra time (91:27 minutes), with Zheng at the side, bending over to speak to him.
Apple Daily claims the images show Zheng spitting at Yapp, with Yapp wiping his face afterwards.
Zheng was pushed away by Australian referee Strebre Delovski and the game continued.
Yapp says he was not spat on, but insists Zheng called him a “dog”. He declined to elaborate further, however.
“What’s done is done, I don’t want to talk about it anymore… I understand he wanted to win badly and perhaps went overboard”, Yapp said.
Zheng denied the accusation during an interview with Chinese media Sina Sports. The transcript reads:
“I never had a go at him. Yes I said to him ‘Get up, no one touched you!’”.
Zheng, who won his Asian Footballer of the Year title in 2013, has a record of playing a little rough in the field. In 2006, he accidentally shattered Djibril Cissé’s right leg during a friendly match with France, costing Cissé his chance to play 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was also suspended for three matches this year in the China Super League for causing a dispute after elbowing an opponent.
The Hong Kong national squad remains undefeated in their World Cup qualifiers and is still leading the group with seven points. Their next match will be against Qatar in Mong Kok Stadium tomorrow.
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