Brighton have apologised for “any offence triggered in China” by a submit on social media that featured a picture of a Japanese World Conflict Two soldier.

The submit 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 battle.

Brighton’s submit was controversial in China as Japan dedicated atrocities within the nation through the battle.

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 consider the battle had ended. He acquired a hero’s welcome on his return to Japan.

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

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

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

Alongside the picture, the submit stated the membership’s under-12s boys staff had gained the Premier League Schooling Undertaking and could be going to Belgium to play within the Christmas Truce Cup.

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

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

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

It’s understood the league – who co-judged the winners of the Schooling Undertaking – weren’t conscious of the particular individuals concerned within the work.