Three people were released on bail on Friday morning after being arrested over insulting the national anthem at a football match at Hong Kong Stadium.
The two men and a woman were arrested on Thursday night during a 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier between the city’s team and Iran.
Police said officers observed the spectators allegedly disrespecting the anthem while it was playing.
“They turned their backs to the field and did not stand while the national anthem was playing,” the force said.
The trio, aged 18 to 31, were arrested on suspicion of insulting the national anthem after further investigation.
The case was handed over to the Wan Chai district crime squad.
Police said the three had been released on bail, but would be required to report to the force again in early July.
Last month, the Education Bureau ordered a secondary school to submit a report after a video of students disrupting a history lesson – by mocking their teacher and performing antics while playing the national anthem on a mobile phone – went viral online.
In July last year, the first person to stand trial under Hong Kong’s National Anthem Ordinance was sentenced to three months in prison.
Cheng Wing-chun was found guilty after posting an edited clip of fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long celebrating his Tokyo Olympics victory, in which the national anthem was replaced with “Glory to Hong Kong” – a song linked to anti-government protests.
Controversies related to the national anthem at football games have also been widely reported.
In 2022, fans booed the song ahead of a match between Hong Kong and Myanmar, and while police were seen filming the audience, no arrests were made on that occasion.
Such incidents were regular occurrences at football events for years before the law was introduced. The Hong Kong Football Association had been warned or fined multiple times by higher sporting bodies over the behaviour of city fans.
Anyone convicted of intentionally insulting the anthem can face up to three years in jail and a maximum fine of HK$50,000 (US$6,370) under the ordinance, which was enacted in 2020.
