Brighton have apologised for “any offence induced in China” by a put up on social media that featured a picture of a Japanese World Battle Two soldier.

The put up from the membership’s academy featured Japan worldwide Kaoru Mitoma and a youth participant posing with a soccer card that includes Hiroo Onoda.

Lieutenant Onoda was the final Japanese soldier to formally give up, 29 years after the nation’s defeat within the conflict.

Brighton’s put up was controversial in China as Japan dedicated atrocities within the nation throughout the conflict.

There was some backlash from followers expressing anger and disappointment on Chinese language social media platform Weibo.

Onoda held out within the Philippine jungle for 29 years earlier than surrendering, as a result of he didn’t imagine the conflict had ended. He acquired a hero’s welcome on his return to Japan.

The Philippine authorities granted him a pardon, regardless of killing 30 folks on the island of Lubang that he mistook for the enemy.

“The membership sincerely apologises for any offence induced in China by a current put up about our academy’s participation within the Premier League Christmas Truce Event,” the membership’s academy stated in a put up on X.

“We massively worth our followers in China and had no intention of inflicting any offence.”

Alongside the picture, the put up stated the membership’s under-12s boys workforce had received the Premier League Training Mission and could be going to Belgium to play within the Christmas Truce Cup.

The Premier League stated the match “gives academy U12 gamers an opportunity to check their footballing expertise in opposition to high European Golf equipment whereas gaining an understanding of the historic occasions that formed our world”.

The match is known as after the sequence of spontaneous ceasefires that occurred round Christmas in 1914 between British and German troopers throughout World Battle One, with soccer matches being performed in a number of places.

BBC Sport has been advised by Brighton officers it was a real error and the controversy was not recognized to the membership or the Premier League.

It’s understood the league – who co-judged the winners of the Training Mission – weren’t conscious of the precise folks concerned within the work.