Retired Chinese soccer star Hao Haidong and his wife Ye Zhaoying, former badminton world champion, sent shockwaves across China and the sporting world, after they denounced Beijing and called for the establishment of a “Chinese Federation”.

The power couple published their manifesto on June 4, the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Many Chinese athletes opt to retire abroad, but very few dare to openly criticize the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuan refused to comment on the “absurd” statements, but China’s censorship machine went into overdrive. The couple’s names were scrubbed from the internet. Hao’s Weibo account with 7.5 million followers also disappeared overnight. Chinese sports news outlet Titan Sports published a piece to slam Hao for infringing China’s sovereignty, but only referred to him as H to avoid mentioning his full name.

In an exclusive interview with Apple Daily last weekend, Hao Haidong and Ye Zhaoying explained their decision and determination to stand up against China.

“Zhaoying and I traveled to Hong Kong last October and stayed for a few days. We had the fortune to witness the anti-extradition movement. We saw the fight for democracy and freedoms of Hong Kong people and their resistance against the Hong Kong and Beijing governments. We saw tens of thousands of citizens march on the streets orderly. They protested only to make their demands heard, but they were crushed ruthlessly by the authorities. It’s like June Fourth, it’s just as indignant.”

“31 years ago, I was in Beijing during the June Fourth crackdown, but I did not participate. The students we saw on the streets of Hong Kong are different from those in Beijing back then. Hong Kong students grow up in a free and democratic system. But now Beijing is stripping them of what they originally enjoyed, and that forces them to take to the streets.”

“Hong Kongers tried to voice their demands with peaceful demonstrations, but the CCP refused to listen. The new national security law Beijing is imposing on Hong Kong is a clear violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the ‘one country, two systems’ framework established by Deng Xiaoping. The CCP’s claim that the Joint Declaration has ‘expired’ is in complete breach of international obligation. Such a regime will be spurned by the civilized world one day.”

“The CCP has been eroding Hong Kong’s freedoms and democracy since the handover. It wants to enforce the values of the authoritarian regime on Hong Kong people, whose grievances have culminated into the unprecedented anti-government movement. Their wisdom and civilization shown in the protests, as well as their determined pursuit for freedoms and democracy are awe-inspiring. To me, Hong Kong is a holy city.”

“I joined the Bayi football team at the age of 10 and became an official player at 18. I have gained a deep understanding of China’s political system after decades with the national team. It is an inhumane system that strips people of their humanity. No one in the system can escape. You are either devoured or you hold a candle to the devil.”

“Under this system, everything is fine as long as you win a match. If you lose, you are faced with endless meetings and reviews: your hair is too long, you sleep too late. Even listening to the songs of Teresa Teng was considered a crime because her music was ‘demoralizing’.”

“I was a commentator at the Asian Cup in Australia several years ago. I said that being politically correct alone would not make you a good footballer, you need to have stamina and skills, and these are the universal values. I was immediately warned, ‘you cannot say this, Haidong’. I was shocked. Well, if they wouldn’t let me say this or that, I’d rather shut up. For the second half of the match, I did not utter a single word.”

“I played as a forward in the national team. In the early years, whenever we went abroad to compete, the manager would warn us not to make any international calls. But they told me in secret, ‘Haidong, you can make whatever calls and eat whatever you want.’ I was the only one with these privileges. As long as you can get a gold medal, you can do whatever you want, which is most pathetic. Athletes are only tools for officials to get promoted.”

“Let me give another example. Cai Li, a weightlifting champion who once broke the Asian record, won over 20 gold medals and was crowned the strongest man in Asia. But no one cared for him after he retired. He wasn’t even offered any medical benefits and died at the age of 33, leaving behind a wife and a child in poverty. There are way too many stories like his in China’s sports industry.”

“Zhaoying and I have no problem surviving. Our lives here (in Spain) are fine, but whenever we think of our colleagues, who are still struggling with poverty, we feel a chill down our spine.”

“The way the CCP handled the June Fourth massacre, kept quiet about the deaths in the Cultural Revolution and fabricated the age of athletes to win awards – these are things I cannot tolerate and the reasons why I have decided to denounce Beijing.”

“Three days after we posted our manifesto, my son (Hao Runze) called and told me he was fired (by a Serbian club). I asked if it was because of me and I apologized. But my son said, ‘It is alright, dad. I wasn’t fired because I couldn’t play well. I was fired because you spoke up. And as long as you spoke the words of truth, I support your decision.’”

“I am touched by his understanding. I believe we did what we should for our child, by being honest and truthful. My son is 23 years old, my daughter is 20 and Zhaoying’s daughter is 17. They are all very sensible. It shows that no one can take away the desire for freedoms and dignity once a person has gained life experiences and exposure.”

“If the CCP remains, if this evil regime continues to exist, we will never return to China. Beijing seems not to care about our call for its downfall, but it has removed us entirely from the Chinese internet. You can see how guilty and anxious it is.”

“As to whether CCP will harass our friends and families in China or confiscate our properties in retaliation, I believe they will. There is no way we can stop them, but we believe that any act of retaliation will just show the world another example of their evil nature.”

“We don’t worry about our lives here (in Spain), as I can be a coach and Zhaoying can play badminton. Severing our ties to China will not threaten our survival overseas.”

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