The Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY -- A group of fans who were kicked out of an exhibition soccer game between the Chinese national team and Real Salt Lake say it was because they stirred up a political controversy by waving the flag of Tibet.

"I was really, really shocked. I couldn't believe this was happening in this country," said Colin Coker, who was among the small group of fans who were taken out of Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday night.

The fans had been waving the flag of Tibet, the Himalayan region that has been battling China over independence for decades, during the game Thursday night. Some of the Chinese players stepped off the field early in the second half and refused to play again until the flags were put away.

The fans put away the Tibetan flags, as well as flags of Taiwan and a sign referring to China's Tiananmen Square protest in 1989, but brought them out again later in the game. Coker said he and several other fans were then kicked out of the stadium.

Real Salt Lake spokesman Trey Fitz-Gerald said the fans were kicked out for being disruptive. He said they were more focused on harassing the Chinese players than making a political statement.

"This is a case where we invited this team here, and we were their host, and we needed to be diplomatic," Fitz-Gerald said.

Coker acknowledged he was partly trying to distract and annoy the Chinese team, but he also wanted to raise awareness about Tibet's fight with China. He said he was considering taking his complaint to the American Civil Liberties Union.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B9.