Brighton release apology after causing fury in China with deleted Twitter post

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Brighton & Hove Albion have been forced to issue a grovelling apology to supporters in China for a post featuring infamous Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda. The post that was shared on X featured star forward Kaoru Mitoma and an academy player.

They were both shown to be holding a football card featuring Onoda - a former officer of the Japanese Imperial Army. He became known in Japan after becoming the final soldier to surrender after World War 2 , which he did so in 1974 following an intervention from his former commanding officer.

The post featuring Onoda went viral in China on social networking site Weibo, with many users expressing their anger. Brighton have since deleted the post.

A statement read: “The club sincerely apologises for any offence caused in China by a recent post about our Academy’s participation in the Premier League Christmas Truce Tournament. We hugely value our fans in China and had no intention of causing any offence.”

It has been reported that the post was a genuine error as the Seagulls attempted to promote the fact that their under-12 side were set to take part in the Christmas Truce Cup in Belgium after winning the Premier League Education Project.

The Premier League describes the Christmas Truce Cup as a tournament that 'offers academy Under-12 players a chance to test their footballing talent against top European clubs while gaining an understanding of the historical events that shaped our world '.

Onoda’s standing has been a controversial one ever since his surrender. He was initially hailed as a hero in his homeland but he is vilified in China due to a number of atrocities committed against the country by the Imperial Japanese forces during the war.

Onoda also killed 30 civilians in the Philippines as he mistakenly believed they were enemy forces. He had been hiding in the country long after the end of World War 2, believing that announcements that the war was over were tricks from Japan's enemies.

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He was believed to have died in 1959 but was found alive in the Philippines. Onoda eventually passed away at the age of 91 in Tokyo in January 2014.

Away from their participation in the Christmas Truce Cup, Brighton have enjoyed a positive start to the season under Fabian Hurzeler. The Seagulls currently sit fifth in the Premier League following their 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

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