Beijing Guoan retire home seat in memory of deceased fan Yang Xue

Chinese Super League (CSL) team Beijing Guoan have retired a seat for long-time supporter Yang Xue, who died at 39 on Tuesday.

Guoan played their first home game of the season at the Workers' Stadium on Friday against reigning CSL champions Shanghai Port. Over 53,000 spectators attended the contest, but seat 6 in row 7, section 109, was reserved, with a snowflake pattern adorning its front.

The pattern was fixed to the seat on Wednesday and is a fitting tribute to Yang, as her given name, "Xue," means snow in Chinese. Zhou Jinhui, chairman of Guoan, told Xinhua News Agency that the seat will never be sold to anyone for any event at the stadium in the future.

Yang had been supporting Guoan for a long time and managed to attend all of the club's games, both at home and on the road, through multiple seasons since 2005. "There will be a star-in-snowflake pattern in the sky watching out for everyone," she wrote in her final social media post before her death.

Ricardo Soares, manager of Guoan, expressed his condolences over Yang's death at the pre-game press conference on Thursday, urging the team to share their strength with Yang's family during such a difficult time.

Four days earlier, during the game against Wuhan Three Towns, players from Guoan had Yang's name written on their jerseys to express their support for her. Before kickoff in Friday's game, fans sang "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky" by Escape Plan to say goodbye to Yang. Many were in tears when they turned on the flashlights on their phones in tribute to Yang. After Guoan tied the score at 1-1, their players pointed to the sky in memory of Yang.

(Cover photo: A snowflake pattern is marked on seat 6 in row 7, section 109, at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing, April 3, 2024. /Xinhua)