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Team stripped of trophy after player posed for a photo with his foot on it

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A South Korean youth football team have been stripped of the trophy they deservedly won after one of their players posed for a photo with his foot on the trophy.

The Under-18 team defeated all three other teams involved in the 2019 Panda Cup – New Zealand, Thailand and China – to win the competition.

South Korea beat China 3-0 in the final on Wednesday, but the team were forced to apologise after they were criticised online for the “unforgivable” images.

According to a report on the BBC, the topic had 59 million views on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, and the tournament organisers suggested South Korea would not be invited back.

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The Chengdu Football Association, which organised the Panda Cup, released a statement accusing the South Korea players of “serious insult” and said it would be “taking back” the trophy.

The Korean Football Association however sent a letter of apology to the Chengdu FA, who have lodged a complaint with the Asian Football Confederation.

“Teams and players who violate sports ethics and spirit are not welcome to participate,” the Chengdu FA said.

In a video footage, the South Korean squad said: “We apologise for the situation. One of our players made a huge mistake. We humbly apologise to all of the fans, all of the players and all of the people in China.”

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