Yunnan Yukun FC defeated Shanghai Jiading Huilong 2-0 in the 26th round of the Central League match, and managed to reach the Super League four rounds ahead of schedule. Guo Guangqi, general manager of the club, shared his outlook for the future and the club's plans in an exclusive interview with Cover News.
Guo Guangqi said that the club's most basic requirement for next year is to stand in the Super League and succeed in relegation. He admitted that although there is only one level difference between the Chinese League One and the Chinese Super League, the difference between the two is actually very big. In order to stand firm in the Super League, the club will do its best to fulfill the conditions for admission to the Super League and continue to bring in strong reinforcements according to the foreign aid policy, while strengthening some domestic players in appropriate positions.
In addition to the introduction of new players, Guo Guangqi also emphasized the importance of youth training ladder construction. He said that at present, Yunnan Yukun club's youth training ladder construction and training has basically reached the requirements of the CFA, but the overall ladder construction is not an overnight success, and will be slowly improved next. Club U15, U14, U13, U12 ladder teams are participating in the U series of competitions in Yunnan Province, U17 participated in the CFA competition.
In terms of home facilities, Guo Guangqi revealed that the Yuxi Highland Sports Center stadium has already been upgraded, with the seating capacity increased from 13,000 in 2022 to 25,000, which is basically able to meet the standards of the Chinese Super League. And Yuxi City Government may also carry out further renovation at the end of this year to upgrade the spectator seats to 30,000 seats.
In addition, Guo Guangqi also mentioned the performance of Chengdu Rongcheng and the hot atmosphere of Phoenix Hill Stadium. He said that despite the big difference between Yuxi and Chengdu, and the fact that Rongcheng has state investment while Yukun is sponsored by a private company, Yukun can learn from Chengdu Rongcheng's experience. Some of the officials who used to work in Rongcheng are now working in Yukun's club, mainly learning from Chengdu Rongcheng in terms of the club's operation.
For the remaining 4 rounds of matches and next year's Chinese Super League journey, Guo Guangqi said that as a professional soccer club, playing every game well is the most basic requirement. He hoped that all the players would not slacken off and play every game seriously to fulfill the basic task of winning the championship this year.
Finally, Guo Guangqi thanked all levels of government for their care and help as well as the support of every fan. He said that in the state of Chinese soccer at a low ebb, there is still a situation where basically every match from the middle B to the middle A is full, and he is very grateful for the support of these fans.
