This archive report was first published on 9 December 2019.
On December 7, 2019, French former NBA player Guerschon Yabusele was reprimanded and fined $1,400 by sports officials in China for not looking at the Chinese flag during the national anthem before a game.
Yabusele, who plays for Nanjing Tongxi Monkey King in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), was given a 'serious warning' and a 10,000-yuan fine for not looking at the flag as required, according to the CBA.
China's government has stepped up the promotion of patriotism under President Xi Jinping, with legislation approved in 2017 to punish anyone who disrespects the national anthem with up to three years in prison.
Opinions on Yabusele's punishment were divided on Chinese social media, with some calling for his expulsion and others finding the sanction to be harsh.
"He's happy to take money from China, but he doesn't respect it," one person wrote on the popular Weibo social media platform.
"This player must be expelled immediately and his club must be disqualified from the championship," another said.
However, many found the sanction to be harsh, with one person writing, "It's nonsense. First, he's not Chinese. Moreover, he stood up and didn't make any insulting gesture."
Yabusele is not the first foreign athlete to break patriotic rules in China, with Brazilian midfielder Diego Tardelli being handed a one-game ban for rubbing his face during the anthem before a game last year.
