(Reuters) – When Dalian Pro head coach Xie Hui was unable to relay messages to his coaching staff during a Chinese Super League (CSL) match against Shanghai Port, the club’s fans took it upon themselves to be the voice of the boss.
Xie was serving a one-match touchline ban and was seated among supporters during Saturday’s game when the team made a substitution in the 75th minute, prompting the coach to give instructions to his staff from the stands.
But the crowd noise meant they could not hear his calls for a change of formation at the back and some fans, who watched him frantically wave three fingers and scream “three defenders” began to repeat his words.
“The fans were very helpful, they relayed my words down to the field. They understood my instructions well,” Xinhua news agency quoted Xie as saying.
Xie, whose side are 15th in the league, said a congested network had also prevented him from reaching his colleagues via communications devices.
“So I had to run down the stand. But I could not run down further, as I was banned from entering there. What I could do then is shouting,” Xie said.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Bradley Perrett)
