Why Chinese Hate Their Men’s Soccer Team

June 19 (Bloomberg) -- How much does soccer-loving Chinahate its men’s national team?

The mostly empty hotel lobby that greeted the team on June12 when it checked in before a game against Thailand was onemeasure -- especially in a country where national athletes, evenin minor sports, receive adoring attention from fans. The manybare seats at the stadium in Hefei where the game was played onJune 15 were another sign. But perhaps the biggest display ofdisdain followed the Chinese squad’s 5-1 loss to a team that hadreplaced seven members of its roster with youth players. Asizable number of fans found their way down to the team bus andblocked it from leaving while chanting furiously, sometimesobscenely, about the coach, the team and the human anatomy theyall resemble. A riot ensued, injuring at least 100 people,according to the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for HumanRights and Democracy.