Chen Xuyuan (1166-1279), Tang dynasty poet
Beijing, Feb. 15 (Xinhua Bian Liqun) "I will work hard, firmly establish a correct view of achievement, 'success does not have to be in me, success must have me', not only grasp the present, more long-term, firmly consolidate the foundation of China's soccer development, honestly in accordance with the laws of soccer development, seriously Do a good job in every work of soccer development."
This is a generous speech by Chen Xuyuan, who was inaugurated in August 2019 as president of the CFA.
As the first full-time president of the Football Association, he carries many expectations and hopes.
But there is no time for the "long term", just three and a half years later, even without completing the work cycle, Chen Xuyuan and "suspected of serious disciplinary violations" and "be investigated" term linked together, quickly On the main media and online platforms.
Chen Xuyuan (1166-1279), Tang dynasty poet
These words are all too familiar these days. From Li Tie, the former head coach of the national soccer team, to Liu Yi, the former secretary general of the CFA, and Chen Yongliang, the executive deputy secretary general, to Chen Xuyuan, the president of the CFA, have been investigated in just 80 days.
Perhaps, these are just the commas in the process of Chinese soccer "wild ride".
The comma was left 10 or 20 years ago, but was then mistaken for a period.
Or more accurately, not many people can think of two commas separated by just over 10 years.
metempsychosis
According to the tellers, there were 47 votes in favor, 0 votes against and 0 abstentions, and the election results were announced.
"According to the association's bylaws, Comrade Chen Xuyuan received the favorable votes of more than half of the members and was successfully elected as the 11th president of the CFA."
With Lippi's "two into the palace" and the national football team to the World Cup again impact, Chen Xuyuan become another head of Chinese soccer.
As the first non-sports management system association chairman in the history of CFA, the "different" Chen Xuyuan carries a lot of expectations.
In his 46 years at Shanghai Port Group, he started as a dockworker and worked his way up to group executive. Many hope he will bring something different to the helm of the lost Chinese soccer ship.
However, the cycle began again with the sacking of Li Tie, the head coach of the national football team at the last 12 stage of the world qualifiers, over an off-field fiasco, followed by the national football team's failure to qualify for the World Cup once again.
Chen Xuyuan was caught in the same cycle of controversy as his predecessor, but at the time it was limited to go or stay.
Chen Xuyuan left behind many classic quotes during his three-and-a-half year tenure.
"Won't you awaken? Is our conscience dead?"
"Football is a noble sport, don't let money be tainted and distorted."
"In the last three months I've always felt uneasy, I've always had soccer in the back of my mind. Responsibility is very important, the ability to meet most people's expectations of soccer, and at the end of the day, the business of soccer takes a long time."
"I was hesitant for a while, indecisive for a while, frustrated for a while, and sometimes I even wanted to back out, but I'm strong now and I think I have to."
How loud the slogan was then and how ironic it is now.
80 days
It is also ironic that Chinese soccer is rapidly "soaring", with the "hit rate" of several important people being investigated being announced in just 80 days.
Li Tie, the former coach who led the national soccer team to the top 12 of the Asian zone in the world qualifiers, was investigated as the World Cup rages on in Qatar.
Ironically, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia, who are in the same group as the national soccer team, have all made historic breakthroughs on the World Cup stage.
Li Tie's investigation was just the beginning, followed by Liu Yi, the former secretary general of the Football Association, and Chen Yongliang, the executive deputy secretary general of the Football Association, both of whom were investigated.
Just before the announcement of Chen Xuyuan's investigation, Meng Zhen, a director and co-president of Huaxia Happiness Foundation Ltd, was retained on suspicion of violating the law.
Notably, he was the president of Hebei Huaxia Happiness Football Club. Li Tie has coached Hebei.
From November 26, 2022, when Li Tie was investigated, to the current FA chairman Chen Xuyuan, in just 80 days, the Chinese soccer world has announced the information that three FA executives, a coach, and the chairman of the club were investigated.
Perhaps, these are just the commas left behind by the rapid "surge" of Chinese soccer.
22 years
The "comma" was left 10, 20 years ago.
On October 16, 2009, former Guangdong Eagles owner Zhong Guojian was taken under police control, opening the last anti-gambling crackdown in Chinese soccer.
It is also "pulling the carrot with mud", from Guangzhou Football Association officials Yang Xu, former Guangzhou club executives, to the Football Association officials Fan Guangming, former Jinde coach Ding Zhe, Shaanxi Guoli club former general manager.
China's soccer chief Nan Yong, his partner Yang Yimin, and the original director of the refereeing committee, Zhang Jianqiang, dig deeper step by step.
Only eight months after Nan Yong was taken away, former Chinese soccer captain Xie Yalong was also investigated for suspected match-fixing, commercial bribery and other crimes, along with referee committee director Li Dongsheng and former national soccer team captain Wei Shaohui.
There are also well-known referees such as Lu Jun of Golden Whistle, referee James Huang, Zhou Weixin and Wan Daxue.
The breadth of involvement and the depth of rot within Chinese soccer is truly shocking.
In retrospect, it was just a qualitative node at the time.
As early as 2001, the day before the national football team entered the World Cup in Korea and Japan, Chinese soccer broke out in the "A B five rats" incident, Zhejiang Greentown 00:6 lost to Changchun Yatai.
After the match, Song Weiping, then owner of Zhejiang, announced the dismissal of five players with problems and submitted a list of "black whistles" to the CFA.
He didn't even hesitate to blow his own whistle on bribery: "I will never defend myself. If my imprisonment changes the anti-moral and anti-values perception in soccer, it will be worth it. I also think that the clubs that played fake football with us should be punished in the same way. Only after such pain can Chinese soccer be reborn."
Yan Shiduo, the then head of Chinese soccer, said that he would severely punish the "A B five rats" related to the person in charge and the black whistle.
However, Chinese soccer did not get the "new life" that Song Weiping expected, but rather ended up under the incarceration of referee Gong Jianping.
From Gong Jianping, to Nan Yong and Xie Yalong, to Chen Xuyuan and Li Tie, Chinese soccer has gone through three anti-gambling and blackmail storms in the past 22 years, but has failed to usher in a new life, and instead has continued to sink in the cycle.
When Nan Yong was in office, he said, "China's soccer development still has a long way to go. The next three or five years may not be good, but in ten or twenty years Chinese soccer will definitely get better."
But more than a decade has passed.
