BFA releases footage of teen soccer star Guo's tragic tackle

With newly released footage and first-aid details backing up its earlier statement, the Beijing Football Association has reiterated that the handling of the injury that led to the tragic death of young soccer talent Guo Jiaxuan was responsible and in compliance with standard procedure.

A week after Guo passed away in Beijing on March 19, the BFA on Wednesday released video clips of the Feb 6 training match in Madrid, where Guo sustained the life-threatening head injury, details of the medical treatment following the accident, and information regarding Guo's insurance.

A video clip of the match, reviewed and approved by Beijing-based Zhengyang Notary Office, clearly captures the incident in the second half of a game between a BFA under-20's side and local club RC Alcobendas, where the 18-year-old Guo's head accidentally collides with the left knee of a Spanish player in the process of defending a counterattack.

What appeared to be a routine slide tackle ended in tragedy, as Guo was immediately left in a coma. On-site first-aid personnel went to Guo's aid and administered treatment five minutes later, according to a BFA statement.

Emergency responders soon arrived with a helicopter, which landed on the pitch, as can be seen in the second video clip published on Wednesday, before Guo was airlifted to the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, a Madrid-based hospital specializing in neurology, where he was diagnosed as "brain-dead" after nearly four hours of intensive treatment, according to the BFA.

"We did not release the footage right afterward, because we've analyzed it repeatedly and decided not to cause his family unnecessary distress," the BFA said in its statement, responding public concerns over the delay of information.

However, Guo's family remains skeptical, questioning the non-contiguous nature of the two clips and what the BFA is claiming to be "timely treatment".

"We've asked for detailed information of the incident and release of the full-length video, and they've just kept turning us down. Now they suddenly decide to publish two apparently edited, disconnected video clips without asking for our permission," Guo's brother posted on social media on Thursday.

The family had questioned the handling of the incident and the BFA's late response to their concerns a couple of times, and had sent lawyer's letters to both the BFA and Beijing Guo'an, Guo's domestic league club, for an official explanation and specific details of the medical treatment in Spain.

Until Wednesday, the BFA hadn't responded to them, nor any media inquiry, since its March 20 statement mourning Guo's passing, according to Guo's brother.

After the diagnosis, Guo's family demanded he be transferred to Beijing for further treatment, and the BFA hired a medial charter flight, which left Madrid on Feb 13, landing in Beijing on the morning of Feb 14.Guo was taken to Beijing's Tiantan Hospital, where he was kept on life support. The Beijing hospital's crew of medical experts, who'd consulted with their Spanish counterparts during a Feb 7 online meeting, returned with the same conclusion.

Guo eventually passed away on March 19, on the eve of his 19th birthday, leaving Beijing soccer fans lamenting the loss of a promising young talent with a bright future.

Guo had been selected for China's U17 team in 2023 and included in German club Bayern Munich's World Squad, a talent scouting project run by the Bundesliga giant, in the same year.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn