The international body that governs association football has fined the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) HK$40,000 (US$5,161) for Hong Kong fans jeering at the Chinese national anthem — which Hong Kong shares with the mainland.

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) had warned the HKFA in early September, prompted by fans booing the anthem after a 2-3 loss by Hong Kong to Qatar during a World Cup qualifying match.

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Reports say fans also threw a carton of lemon tea onto the pitch during that match.

Chinese paper People's Daily says prior to the warning, Hong Kong soccer fans had booed at two other home games when the Chinese national anthem played.

Sarah Lee, an HKFA spokesperson, was quoted by the BBC saying that her association doesn't want to punish fans, and is trying to encourage a "positive atmosphere" to deter booing.

On Nov. 17, Hong Kong is scheduled to play against the mainland, which organisers are likely to be vigilant about given the current tension.

The Chinese national anthem, "March of the Volunteers," has been shared by Hong Kong since 1997 when it was returned to China by the British. Before the handover, Hong Kongers sang the U.K.'s national anthem, "God Save the Queen."

Hong Kong's relationship with Beijing has in recent years grown tense, reaching a height last year with a string of pro-democracy protests that saw tens of thousands of demonstrators blocking roads in Hong Kong.

Many comments on the news on Chinese social network Weibo were critical of Hong Kong. (Weibo is primarily used by mainland Chinese.) A user said (link in Chinese) it was time to "liberate" Hong Kong from China, and another said China should send Hong Kong back to the British.

Several users called Hong Kong "ungrateful" and others said FIFA's penalty was too light.

Hong Kong was under British rule between 1898 and 1997. Together with Macau it is ruled as a Special Administrative Region (SAR), where it has retained a separate capitalist economic and political system away from China's socialism — or "one country, two systems" as China labels it.