Voice of America
16 Dec 2019, 00:35 GMT+10
Chinese state television pulled the scheduled live broadcast of a football (soccer) game following one of the players' comments online criticizing the government's treatment of its Muslim Uighur minority.
China's CCTV was scheduled to broadcast the football game between Arsenal and Manchester United, but instead decided to show a taped game between Tottenham Hotspur and the Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Arsenal footballer Mesut Ozil posted on Twitter Friday comments condemning China's crackdown on Muslim minorities in the Western region, while also criticizing other Muslim countries for not speaking up against abuses.
"Korans are being burnt... Mosques are being shut down... Muslim schools are being banned... Religious scholars are being killed one by one... Brothers are forcefully being sent to camps," Ozil wrote in Turkish on his Twitter account Friday.
The U.S., the United Nations and various human rights groups have accused China of detaining an estimated one million ethnic Muslims in so-called "re-education camps" in the remote Western province of Xinjiang in an attempt to force them to renounce their religion and heritage.
Chia's state-run Global Times said on its Twitter account Sunday that CCTV made the decision to pull the game after Ozil's comments had "disappointed fans and football governing authorities".
Arsenal posted on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, that the the content Ozil shared was "entirely Ozil's personal opinion". The team has not posted a response on Twitter or released and official statement.
Get a daily dose of Dublin News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Dublin News.
More InformationSAN FRANCISCO, California: Grammarly is doubling down on AI-powered productivity tools with the acquisition of Superhuman, a sleek...
NEW YORK, New York -U.S. stock markets closed with broad gains on Thursday, led by strong performances in U.S. tech stocks, while European...
LONDON/STOCKHOLM: The Persson family is ramping up its investment in the H&M fashion empire, fueling renewed speculation about a potential...
PARIS, France: L'Oréal is making a fresh play in the booming premium haircare segment with a new acquisition. The French beauty conglomerate...
MENLO PARK, California: Robinhood is giving European investors a new way to tap into America's most prominent tech names — without...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks diverged on Wednesday for the second day in a row. The Standard and Poor's 500 hit a new all-time...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has warned that there could be a serious trolley crisis this summer...
ISTANBUL/PARIS/BRUSSELS: As searing temperatures blanket much of Europe, wildfires are erupting and evacuation orders are being issued...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The High Court has lifted an anonymity order, allowing Trinity College Dublin and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland...
PARIS, France: France is taking stronger steps to reduce smoking. A new health rule announced on Saturday will soon ban smoking in...
VILNIUS, Lithuania – A growing body of research suggests that selectively restricting a single nutrient in our diet could have profound...