Meizhou Hakka FC Deny Request to Postpone Beijing Match After Cheick Tiote Death

Meizhou Hakka FC, a club in China's League One and the upcoming opponents for Beijing Enterprises, have reportedly refused a request to postpone the fixture following the death of Cheick Tiote.

The Ivorian unexpectedly died in training Monday, and per Zhijie Shao of BBC Chinese (h/t Phil Dawkes and Matt Davis of BBC Sport), Beijing head coach Gao Hongbo told reporters he wanted the match to be moved. Despite Meizhou's refusal, he remained optimistic for a solution, saying, “We hope the (China) FA would offer some help to postpone the match on Saturday.”

Beijing media officer Yang Xiaoxiao spoke to BBC Chinese and said a cause of death will not be revealed until Tiote's family travels to China: “We must wait till his family is here, we need to respect their opinion and not to speak more at this moment.”

Per ESPN FC, the former Newcastle United man fainted without warining during a normal training session Monday. Tiote was taken to a hospital, but medical staff were unable to revive the 30-year-old.

Tiote moved to China from Newcastle in February after a productive career in the Premier League. He previously played for Anderlecht, Roda JC and Twente.