Zhao Lei, a Xuzhou-born president of the Zhenjiang 'Twelve Men' fan club, cheered for both teams in the 2026 Jiangsu Super League match between Zhenjiang and Xuzhou — 'cheering Zhenjiang, rooting for his hometown' — interpreting Jiangsu brotherhood as 'gathered, a ball of fire; scattered, stars across the sky.'
Zhao Lei has lived and strived in Zhenjiang for over a decade and is the current president of the Zhenjiang Twelve Men fan club. He regards Zhenjiang as his place of striving and Xuzhou as his hometown with family. As fan-club president, he is Zhenjiang's most staunch supporter while always keeping his heart with hometown team Xuzhou.
In the Zhenjiang-Xuzhou match, Zhao Lei enthusiastically shouted Zhenjiang's slogans while cheering his hometown team in Xuzhou dialect. Though he admitted he is not good at speaking Zhenjiang dialect, he still expressed support for Zhenjiang with the simplest shouts. He described the match as 'a duel between the gale and the tiger,' emphasizing both teams are Jiangsu brothers.
Zhao Lei said: 'No matter what, we are all Jiangsu brothers — gathered, a ball of fire; scattered, stars across the sky.' This sentence precisely captures his stance of cheering both teams. On August 22, 2026, Zhenjiang and Xuzhou finally drew 1:1, and the shouts of both sides' fans intertwined, indistinguishable from each other.
