On the afternoon of June 25th, with Nantong Haimen Kotanyi defeating Shenzhen 6-5 on penalties, the third round of the 2023 FA Cup came to an end, and the top 16 teams were all Chinese Super League teams except for 2 B teams and 1 A team. Compared to last year, there weren't many "stories" on the pitch, let alone "wows", which was a bit unexpected.
In fact, it was the CFA that set the tone. It was the second round of the draw on September 5, 2022 at noon, to be exact.
Looking back at last year's FA Cup, except for Guoan's loss to Jingchuan Wenhui, which was labeled as a "shameful failure" by the media, many teams abandoned the competition or simply played with a full Chinese squad. The feeling is that the FA Cup has become a real "chicken ribs" tournament, most teams purely to cope with. The reason for this is that the Chinese Super League teams have to come up with such a strategy because of lack of money or for the sake of relegation in the league is one aspect. But more importantly, the above "tone".
At the heart of this "tone" was the result of the draw: the top four teams in the league at the time, Wuhan Sanzhen, Shandong Taishan, Songshan Longmen and Shanghai Shenhua, were all in the first half; the second half of the seeded seaports were mainly the middle and lower ranked teams in the league, including the two promoted horses. As soon as the result came out, the whole public opinion was roaring:clearly pushing Harbour to win the title.
Because of this, the "story" was born. Of course, the fact that the harbor was eventually eliminated by Zhejiang in the semifinals and the championship was eventually won by Taishan is a different story. In other words, it was unexpected. As early as the second round and the round of 32, the Chinese Super League teams participated in the draw, which fully exposed the ugly face of these people who deliberately trampled on the principle of fairness and impartiality.
Needless to say, Chen Xuyuan is the leader of "some people" whom he thinks are smart. In fact, the division of the league, the adjustment of the schedule, and even the arrangement of the referees, all reveal the intention of Chen Xuyuan and others to "recommend" the harbor.
The rules of this year's tournament have changed considerably. The first round of 16 teams and amateur 16 teams from the B team to participate in the winning 16 teams to enter the second round; then, 16 teams and 16 teams in the first round of the single elimination match, the winner advances to the third round. It was not until then that the 16 Chinese Super League teams made their "debut".
In this year's round of 16 draw, the four teams seeded as "participating in the AFC Champions League" were actually different names from last year's draw based on the results of the 21st season of the FA Cup and the Chinese Super League, which is essentially the same thing. But the draw did not cause any controversy, at least in terms of the first stage of the league ranking is fair. The details are as follows:
The first half of the harbor - Jinmen Tiger, Dalian people - Henan team, Qingdao West Coast - Guoan, Meizhou Hakka - Taishan; the second half: Nantong Zhiyun Wuhan three towns, Changchun Yatai Qingdao Hainiu, Chongqing Tongliang Long Nantong Haimen can be banned edge, Zhejiang team Shenhua.
While Guoan only beat Zibo Qisheng 1-0 in this round to avoid repeating last year's humiliation, Chengdu Rongcheng, who are currently third in the league, were slightly more volatile. However, throughout the round, no media outlet openly discussed the rules of sportsmanship and fair play at the FA level. It can be said that this year's FA Cup is back on track, at least so far.
Looking at the draw, Seaport, Taishan, Shenhua and Wuhan will meet the finalists of their respective halves. If the foreign aid adjustments in the summer window aren't too big, there's a general discussion that this year's FA Cup winner will be one of the Shanghai duo. Even if Harbor eventually wins the cup, I believe there will not be much discussion, even if it is due to the power of "anticipation".
2023 "no story" FA Cup is precisely "story". The ongoing anti-corruption campaign in soccer has sorted out the rules, in addition to some of the worms and cancers that have been hidden and parasitized in Chinese soccer. The League and FA Cup are gradually returning to normal. What seems sparse, mundane and taken for granted is a rare clearing of the air.
Although I dare not expect that there will be no twists and turns from there, as long as all practitioners are working hard to open up the mountains and forests, China's soccer will continue to overcome difficulties and move towards glory.
