According to reports from Chinese media, China International Yu Hanchao has been sacked from being a player for Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande.
Not only was he sacked as a player, but according to reports, Hanchao was also arrested by the Police, after footage was made public of Hanchao altering the license plate of his car, a 1.5 million yuan luxury Mercedes-Benz. The act of doctoring license plate which is a criminal offence in the People’s Republic of China, as the authorities of the nation with the largest population in the world limit traffic movements based on the license plate of cars.
Hanchao is from outside Guangzhou, and so his car could only be driven for four consecutive days before four days of non-allowance. This explains his attempt to doctor his license plate to make it look like a Guangzhou province car.
Guangzhou Evergrande, the constant champion of China’s top football league for the last decade, confirmed in a statement that Hanchao has been let go for breaking one of the nine rules of the player’s contract with the club.
Hanchao joined Evergrande alongside compatriot Li Xuepeng, also a national team player for China, from Dalian Aerbin, in 2014. The deal was reportedly worth 40 million yuan.
Hanchao has played for China 59 times since making his international debut in 2009. His last appearance for China was during the Asian Games 2019, where he entered the field in two matches, both times as a substitute.
Reports indicate that Hanchao getting another club in China is extremely improbable. Not only is he now a criminal offender, but he has also been plagued by injuries. He only played 10 matches for Evergrande last season all while receiving treatment in Europe.
The Chinese Super League usually starts at March, but is currently under postponement due to the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic, of which China was the first victim. Evergrande went to a preseason tour to Dubai but had to return to China.
