Some officials say it's time to rethink the ink

Former national team captain Jia Xiuquan banned tattoos when he was the coach of China's Under-19 side.

Xu Genbao, the "Godfather of Shanghai soccer" who played for and managed the national team, has also decreed a zero-tolerance policy on body art.

"Players who dye hair or have tattoos would be banned from playing on my team, and those who don't change are kicked out," said Xu.

"I understand that young people want to show their character, but it can be done with scoring, not with tattoos."

Another former Team China captain, Fan Zhiyi, concurred.

"Why do players have to have tattoos?" he said. "The priority is to play quality soccer games. Will tattoos make them into better soccer players?"

Critics of the reported ban, point to the fact that numerous international stars such as David Beckham and Messi have sported tattoos throughout their careers without any negative consequence.

One of Beckham's tattoos is of an old Chinese proverb, and Zhao Zhen, a reporter with Soccer News, wrote on Weibo: "Do you know which part was the most interesting thing for students of Peking University when Beckham came there to do a speech?

"It was his Chinese tattoos. When he showed his tattoo, there was even a Chinese traditional music show prepared for him."

The likes of Gao Lin and Wei Shihao used bandages to hide their tattoos in the China Cup loss to Wales, and Beijing Youth Daily speculated that the possible ban might eventually create demand for specially tailored jerseys that would cover body art.