Chinese automobile entrepreneur retracts pledge to give each player a car after football team’s win

According to the South China Morning PostTang Lei, chairwoman of the car dealer Xinlantian Group based in Yongzhou, made the pledge in August last year when she donated 100,000 yuan (US$14,340) to support the Yongzhou team’s participation in the Hunan Football League, a provincial tournament.

At the time, the team had few sponsors and modest expectations of success. In a video circulated widely online, Tang was seen telling players: “If you win the championship, I will give each of you a car as a gift.”

The promise was met with cheers from the team and reported by local media.

It resurfaced after the Yongzhou team defeated rivals from 13 other cities to clinch the provincial championship on Dec. 27, 2025.

However, no vehicles were delivered after the victory. Tang subsequently removed related videos from her social media accounts and withdrew from public view, prompting some players to privately express dissatisfaction over the unfulfilled promise.

Officials from the local Culture and Tourism Bureau, which oversees the football association, said Tang later explained in a phone call that she was on a business trip and facing financial difficulties affecting both her company and her family. She said she remained willing to support the team and proposed making an additional 100,000 yuan donation instead of providing cars.

On Jan. 3, the Yongzhou football association issued a statement saying it would not pressure Tang to honor her original pledge.

“Support should not be a burden and kindness should not be translated into debts,” the statement said, NDTV reported. “We oppose any moral kidnaps which are not in line with real situations.”

The association’s stance attracted significant attention online, with the statement viewed more than 22 million times on a social media platform.

State broadcaster CCTV praised the decision, saying Tang’s initial donation had helped the team through its most challenging period and that the association’s understanding reflected mutual support.

“Yongzhou has won twice: in the football match and in the people’s hearts,” CCTV commented.

Public opinion remains divided. Some online commentators accused Tang of making an unrealistic promise for publicity.

“If you do not have the capacity, do not brag,” one observer wrote. “Tang only aimed to boost online traffic and make profits.”

Others argued the pledge should be viewed in the context of broader economic pressures, noting that the cost of providing cars to an entire team would amount to millions of yuan.

“Quite possibly she had a big problem,” another commenter said. “After all, millions of yuan is not a small amount for any company amid this gloomy macroeconomic background.”

According to the Global Timesthe Yongzhou city football team was underestimated prior to their victory and were even jokingly dubbed “beggars” in the local dialect by fans, a self-deprecating nickname referring to the team’s modest conditions.