Chinese footballers will need to undergo the painful process of having tattoos removed or risk being snubbed by the national team following a new order banning the body work.
The General Administration of Sport (GAS) have gone a step further than they did in 2018 when players were forced to cover up tattoos to continue playing.
In their latest move GAS have outlawed tattoos altogether and want any player with pre-existing tattoos to get them removed in order to ‘set a good example’ for Chinese society.
‘The national team and the U23 national team athletes are strictly prohibited from having new tattoos, and those who already have tattoos are advised to remove them themselves,’ the GAS statement said.
‘If there are special circumstances agreed by the team, (players) must cover up the tattoos during training and matches.’
China has previous in wading into the appearance of its players with a women’s football match in 2018 called off after players were told they were prohibited from playing with dyed hair.
