The Football Association responded to netizens on social media platforms: "After contacting him, Lu Yang confirmed that he does not wish to withdraw from the Italy National Youth Team. The domestic Football Association will no longer respond to any issues regarding Lu Yang in the future."
"We also hope that avid football fans will focus on domestic football initiatives, so that together we can build a golden generation of domestic football, striving for a better tomorrow."
As soon as this statement was released, the online movement condemning Lu Yang quickly became mainstream.
There were also many fans who had never supported Lu Yang mocking him sarcastically.
"See, I told you long ago, Lu Yang is simply Italian at heart!"
"Why support such Chinese players? They might not even care about us!"
"It's one thing to play in Italy, but openly refusing to serve the country? That's excessive!"
"That's how all these 'banana people' are. I won't be a fan anymore!"
