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Lars Hamer

The family of a promising Chinese footballer who suffered severe brain injuries in an accident during a training camp in Spain have accused his club and Beijing’s governing body of failing to cover the teenager’s medical bills.
Guo Jiaxuan, 18, who plays for the academy of Chinese Super League (CSL) team Beijing Guoan, suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage after colliding with another player during a training match against RC Alcobendas in Madrid, Guo’s brother said on Tuesday.
A subarachnoid haemorrhage is a form of stroke caused by bleeding on the surface of the brain.
The collision left Guo with “brain death” and “little chance of survival”, Guo’s brother wrote on Chinese social media platform RedNote.
He said that the Beijing Football Association (BFA), the camp’s organiser, and Guoan had told the family that Guo “must accept the dangers that come from a high-risk job”.
“During training [last Thursday], he was rushed to [hospital] after being hit in the head by another player’s knee,” Guo’s brother wrote.

“From the interpreter, I learned that the doctor at the hospital said my brother had too much bleeding in his head and that there was little hope of survival … the hospital was going to remove his [life support] tubes.”
The post said that a Spanish doctor told the family that Guo was at one stage clinically dead as a result of a lack of oxygen in the brain. Guo’s father arrived in Spain on Saturday and was informed that the hospital proposed to switch off his life support and conduct an autopsy in accordance with Spanish law, it added.
The post explained that Guo’s father wanted to transport Guo back to China to try to save him, and that the BFA and Beijing Guoan, who were afraid of being held accountable under local laws, were also in favour of doing so.
All parties agreed that Guo should be transferred back to China before 12pm Central European Time on Wednesday, or they would have to “remove his tubes”, according to the post.
It stated that a BFA official initially said the association would cover the costs of Guo’s treatment in China.
However, after Guo’s father contacted a Spanish court, “the court found out this was an accident and the organisers were not accountable”. When the family sought guarantees for treatment and compensation costs, the BFA and Guoan “changed the narrative and asked us to reach out to their team of lawyers”.
“The commitment we signed said that they were only responsible for the cost of treatment in Spain and the transfer back to China. And [they] said that after we return to China, the cost of treatment should be paid by both [family and BFA].
“They have a team of professional lawyers. We are just ordinary people, and you can see how difficult it will be to fight a legal battle.”
A spokesperson for the BFA told Chinese media an agreement had been reached to return Guo to China and that “we will definitely do our best to ensure [medical costs are covered]”. They said an official statement would be made at a later date.
The incident raised questions over whether adequate insurance was in place for the players on the trip. A Chinese football expert, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Post that outside professional academies, players’ parents are advised to arrange their own insurance.
Guo had previously been selected to take part in a training camp with China’s under-17 national side, as well as for the FC Bayern World Squad, an international project in which the German club develops promising footballers.
RC Alcobendas expressed its concern for Guo in a statement on its social media accounts.
“We send him, his family and his team our support in this very difficult time,” the club said. “From the bottom of our hearts, we wish him a speedy recovery.”
The Post has contacted the Chinese and Spanish football associations, the CSL and RC Alcobendas for comment.


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