Soccer pundit sacked for 'insults'

A soccer commentator in Shanghai has been fired and could face an ethics investigation after he allegedly insulted a visiting team.

Before a CFA Cup semifinal between Jiangsu Sainty and Shanghai Greenland on Wednesday night in Shanghai, commentator Zhou Liang allegedly called members of the Jiangsu team "northern Jiangsu dogs", the club said in a statement on its micro blog.

Zhou, 35, was commentating for the Shanghai online broadcaster PPLive Inc.

He allegedly used the regional discriminatory term when introducing the visiting team's lineup.

"We have submitted evidence we collected to the Chinese Football Association and asked it to investigate," a manager at Jiangsu Sainty told Modern Express newspaper in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Friday. He asked not to be named.

"We demand a sincere apology from the commentator's employer to all soccer fans in Jiangsu and our team members."

The alleged insult triggered anger among fans who have asked for Zhou to be investigated and punished severely."

"It is outrageous and unacceptable," said Liu Yitie, a software engineer in Jiangsu and avid supporter of Jiangsu Sainty. "I never imagined a commentator would say anything like that."

Another fan, identifying himself only as Xiaona, said he will sue the broadcaster if the company refuses to apologize.

Zhou posted a statement on his micro blog on Thursday, refusing to apologize and saying that he respects the code of conduct covering his broadcasts. However, the post was removed from the micro blog on Friday.

PPLive said in a statement on Thursday night, "We strongly condemn all regional discrimination and offensive comments.

"The company has launched an internal investigation. We adopt zero tolerance toward such acts."

The company said it has fired Zhou and another employee who was also found to be responsible for the alleged incident and has apologized.

It promised to learn a lesson from the incident, promote ethics education and improve broadcasting management. "We welcome public supervision," the company added.