Match involving China’s Olympic team was forced to be abandoned after ‘absolute mayhem’ against former Premier League club

The Great Brawl of 2007: When Football Went Wild

Imagine a match where punches and kung-fu kicks flew, and a 50-man brawl brought the game to a grinding halt. Sounds like a scene from a Hollywood movie, right? Well, it’s not fiction – it’s the infamous match between Queens Park Rangers and China’s Olympic team that went down in 2007.

The friendly match, which was supposed to be a bridge-building exercise between the two sides, turned into a chaotic mess at QPR’s training ground. Defender Zheng Tao was taken to hospital with a broken jaw, and the game was eventually abandoned by Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher.

"It was like the end of the world," said one eyewitness. "The players thought they would be killed." Another witness described the scene as "absolute mayhem," with punches, kicks, and all sorts of shenanigans going down.

So, what sparked the brawl? According to reports, it all started when Gao Lin, a Shanghai Shenhua star, hit a QPR player. Xian Chanba left-back Zheng Tao was knocked unconscious for five minutes before being taken to hospital.

Zheng Tao claimed he was the victim of a cowardly assault, saying he was surrounded by a group of players and kicked to the ground. "Because of the attack, I won’t be able to play football for a long time," he said.

QPR assistant manager Richard Hill was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and later released on police bail. He was also charged by the FA.

Gao Lin, who is Shanghai Shenhua’s all-time top goalscorer, apologized for his actions, saying he had been provoked by the opposition. Jia Xiuquan, the assistant coach of the Chinese side, also apologized for the incident, promising to put more effort into managing the players and avoiding similar incidents in the future.

So, what can we learn from this chaotic match? For starters, it’s a reminder that even in the beautiful game, things can get ugly. It’s also a cautionary tale about the importance of player management and respect for opponents.

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