CHELSEA CAUGHT IN CHINA CRISIS

CHELSEA fear they are facing a fight to rebuild their reputation in the world’s biggest consumer economy after two social media posts by Brazilian winger Kenedy sparked outrage in China. The English champions reacted by issuing a grovelling apology on their website, which was translated into Chinese — and promised Kenedy would be ‘reprimanded and disciplined’. They sent him home where he will face more questions from FA disciplinary chiefs, who are set to investigate. The 21-year-old, who cost £6million when signed from Fluminense in 2015, sparked a diplomatic row in which one Chinese media outlet accused Chelsea of ‘humiliating’ their nation and threatened to delete all references to the club. It all started before «

Saturday’s friendly against Arsenal in the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing, when Kenedy (right) shared two messages on his Instagram account. One said ‘F*** China’ in Portuguese and the other featured a Chinese security guard sleeping against a wall with the words ‘wake up China you idiot’. The posts were quickly deleted and Kenedy wrote a glib apology on Instagram Stories — where messages disappear after 24 hours — only inflaming the problem. When he came on as a second-half substitute against Arsenal he was jeered by some spectators and the People’s Daily, the flagship newspaper of China’s Communist Party, wrote a stinging editorial. It said: ‘China does not welcome a player like this, nor does China welcome a team like this. ‘Kenedy’s absurd comments are not only impolite but uneducated. ‘He has created an incident that has humiliated China, an incident that so many fans simply cannot tolerate.’ After a 3-2 defeat in a friendly by Bayern Munich yesterday in Singapore, manager Antonio Conte said: ‘The player is sorry. He understands his mistake. ‘It is a difficult situation also for the club and for this reason we have to make this decision. He must go home.’ Kenedy flew with the team from Beijing to Singapore after the Arsenal game and trained with them on Sunday and Monday before being sent home yesterday. It is believed Chelsea still feel he has a future at the club and his return home will be the extent of their punishment. However, the club have committed a grave offence in the eyes of the Chinese. Three days after the posts, Chelsea went into diplomatic overdrive in the hope of limiting the damage. China is a precious market for clubs and this was Chelsea’s first visit to the mainland since 2008. They had prefaced the tour with messages from board level about how important it was to embrace China and attract Chinese interest and investment. In the official tour brochure, chairman Bruce Buck wrote: ‘We hope the game supplies some reward to our Chinese fans, who show huge commitment all year round to support the Blues. ‘Our visit is about more than just playing games and going home. It is also about leaving a legacy.’ With a new stadium planned, the club are on the lookout for companies to share the cost in return for naming rights. Their apology stated: ‘On July 22, Chelsea FC experienced the warmth and friendliness of Chinese fans at the National Stadium. However, we were surprised and disappointed that one day prior to the match, one of our young players, Kenedy, posted messages on his social media account that caused great offence and hurt the feelings of the people of China. ‘Unfortunately, even though he quickly deleted the messages and apologised, and the club also apologised via our Chinese social media channels, the damage had already been done. ‘Chelsea sincerely apologises. Kenedy’s actions were a mistake that he will learn greatly from. ‘He has been strongly reprimanded and disciplined. ‘Everyone at Chelsea has the utmost respect and admiration for China and loves our Chinese fans.’