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In China one of the strangest game cancellations in football history occurred.
The duel between the women's teams from the universities of Fuzhou and Jimei was canceled at short notice because a player from Fuzhou had dyed her hair.
The game was therefore rated 3-0 for Jimei without a fight.
Already in the run-up to the match scheduled in the southeastern province of Fujian, both teams had been warned that no player with dyed hair should appear for the game.
However, many players did not adhere to the requirement.
Since the referee did not want to whistle the game like that, the students bought black paint at the nearest hair salon.
One Fuzhou player was classified as not eligible to play even after her hair was dyed back because her hair was "still not black enough".
Fuzhou were then no longer enough players available so that they could not compete.
While there was outrage on social media, Fuzhou University accepted the decision.
The ban on dyed hair is "in accordance with the relevant regulations" of the national education ministry, China News quoted a spokesman for the university: "The relevant documents state that players are not allowed to dye their hair, have strange hairstyles or wear any accessories."
This is a nationwide decree that was in force before the game.
The communist party around President Xi Jinping uses football in China as a model for its striving for a uniform society.
The players of the men's national team therefore had to cover their tattoos in their most recent international matches.
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