China footballer dies on eve of 19th birthday after head injury in Spain
Guo Jiaxuan fell into a coma last month after an accident during a training match between the Beijing men's U-20 team and Spanish side RC Alcobendas in Madrid.
The youth international was declared "brain dead" by a local hospital before being transferred to a Beijing hospital after his condition deteriorated, where he died Wednesday evening.
The teenager's family have accused the Beijing Football Association of withholding information about the incident and failing to communicate with them.
Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan vowed to "do its utmost to properly handle the aftermath and provide all necessary help and support to Guo Jiaxuan's family".
"We've lost a child who loves football. May Jiaxuan rest in peace!" the club said in a post on social media.
The specific circumstances that led to Guo's fatal injury remain unclear.
His family have demanded video footage of the match, details on Guo's medical treatment before he reached hospital and information about his insurance.
Guo's brother posted Thursday on social media a black and white photo of the young defender with the caption: "He'll forever be frozen on the last day of his 18th year."
His family "just want the truth and justice", the brother wrote earlier this week.
Guo played for the U-19 team of top-tier Beijing Guoan and was selected for China's U-17 team in 2023.
He was also once part of the FC Bayern World Squad project run by Germany's largest club.
In an online statement Thursday, the Beijing FA said it had refrained from "disclosing information" since the incident to "avoid irrelevant personnel interfering with medical work, and taking into account the feelings of family members".
It added they had now obtained video footage of the match and organised experts to analyse it.
"We have made every effort to coordinate medical resources for treatment and meet the needs of his family as much as possible", the Beijing FA said.
Hundreds of social media users offered condolences.
"It's a loss of such a bright future at such a young age," one user wrote.
"I wish him happy playing in heaven," another said.
"Condolences, there is no treatment for brain death," wrote another.
sam-mya/oho/pst
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
13 minutes ago
- CNBC
Tesla Optimus rival Unitree shines at the 'World Humanoid Robot Games' in China
The first "World Humanoid Robot Games" is in the books. The three-day competition hosted in Beijing wrapped on Sunday, attracting 280 teams from 16 countries, including the U.S. Teams used robots manufactured by Chinese companies such as Unitree and Booster. During the games, humanoid athletes competed in dance battles, martial arts, track and field events such as the 400-meter and 1500-meter races and long jump, and a soccer tournament. "Robots have stronger joints and core strength," said Guo Tong, who programmed one of the futuristic footballers for his team, Hephaestus. Guo said he sees robots replacing his idol, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, by 2050. "Robots are easier to coach," Chinese Olympic boxer Li Yang told CNBC while watching his robot slug it out with another. "Humans are emotional." Hangzhou-based Unitree, seen as a competitor to Tesla's Optimus, won multiple medals. Beijing-based X-Humanoid and Hong Kong-listed Shenzhen firm UBTECH also impressed. The Chinese government has targeted humanoid robots as a key future industry for the economy and Beijing has plans to build a world-class industry of humanoid robots by 2027. The games are the latest in a series of events and programs aimed at promoting humanoid robot technology. China announced plans to hold its second Olympics-style event for humanoid robots next August. Robots also put job skills to the test, showcasing their abilities as drug store clerks, factory workers, and hotel staff. One challenge for a robot in housekeeping was to pick up all the garbage in a mock hotel room and take out the trash. Referees told CNBC the biggest obstacle for those robots was opening and closing the door. Robot designer Wang Xidong says the competition is key to testing the robots' skills and improving them. "We are refining our robots," Wang said. "Everyone feels motivated to compete."
Epoch Times
13 minutes ago
- Epoch Times
2 Men Sentenced for Laundering Drug Proceeds as Part of Global Organization
A U.S. federal judge in Boston has sentenced two individuals involved in an international money laundering and drug trafficking organization. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced the sentencing in a statement on Aug 15. Chen Yanbing, 30, a Chinese national unlawfully residing in Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to 57 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Chen in October 2024 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
NBC News
3 hours ago
- NBC News
What we know about man killed while running from ICE agents in Monrovia
After a man was struck and killed by a SUV Thursday while running from a federal immigration enforcement operation at a Home Depot in Monrovia, immigrant communities are once again condemning the federal government's tactics while mourning the crash victim. The man who died on the 210 Freeway was identified as Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez from Jutiapa, Guatemala, according to the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which said the Guatemalan consulate confirmed the identity. Cellphone video from the deadly crash appears to show a passerby on the 210 Freeway, showing the body of a man who has been hit by a car just yards from where federal officers were arresting day laborers below. The man ran from the scene, crossed Evergreen Avenue and entered the eastbound 210 Freeway, said Monrovia City Manager Dylan Feik. CHP officers said they received a report just before 10 a.m. that someone had been hit by a SUV on the freeway near Myrtle Avenue. What exactly led up to the man running onto the freeway is unclear. 'Was it intentional? I don't think that is the case, but it ended up with a father, a brother being killed,' said Pablo Alvarado, co-executive director of the National Day Laborers Organizing Network. The Department of Homeland Security told NBC Los Angeles in a statement that Montoya Valdez was not being pursued by federal officials. But Alvarado blamed the federal officials' tactics that, he said, created fear. 'Whether they were chasing him or not, the fact is that when you have operations of this kind, the first reaction of any human being is to run.' Many others in the same Home Depot parking lot also ran, according to people who witnessed or experienced the raid. 'My boss told me to run because immigration was there,' Mattias, a worker who escaped the raid, said in Spanish. 'Some people ran regardless of their immigration status because nowadays, they don't know if undocumented or documented people will be detained.' Mattias said he hurt himself while jumping a fence. DHS said eight day laborers were arrested during Thursday's raid, including nationals from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. The department called the raid by U.S. Border Patrol a 'targeted immigration enforcement operation,' but did not mention the death of Valdez.
