Don't cut it like Beckham, China warns

They might idolise David Beckham’s technique, but Chinese youngsters in the national boys’ soccer team have been told they must not copy his ponytail or other “weird hairstyles”.

Rules issued this week by the China Football Association also bar players in the under-17 team from adopting the shaved head of Beckham’s Real Madrid team-mate Roberto Carlos.

“Dyed hair, long hair and weird hairstyles are all strictly prohibited in the training camp and all players must cut hair short,” said the order, reported by the official Xinhua News Agency.

Beckham is a pop-culture idol in China, featured on billboards and television commercials.

He and his Real Madrid team-mates were mobbed by adoring fans when they visited Beijing in August to play an all-star Chinese team.

China’s youth team started spring training this week in the southern city of Nanning.

“You must learn how to behave as a true man before becoming a soccer star,” Xinhua quoted Feng Jianming, director of the CFA youth department, as telling the players.