On February 3 in Beijing, retired international footballer Gao Leilei analyzed the phenomenon of football in China on his personal social media. He pointed out that the country's soccer has been caught in a vicious circle, and the youth training system is lagging behind that of countries such as Vietnam and Myanmar.
In his article, Ray Gao said, "For a long time, I have difficulty in understanding why our country's soccer has never been able to rise, but still pointing fingers at others? How sad it is to boast of a whole host of famous soccer players! Isn't it absurd that both players and those who make a living from it are so keen to argue about the merits of soccer, as if professional athletes were watching ball boys arguing about who has better skills? Soccer should be about loving life, and only those who love life can excel on the field. But soccer is not a sport like gymnastics or table tennis, where you can win medals just by hard work! 'Love' is not just a social issue, but also an educational one, both individually and collectively. People without ideas can't get a foothold in soccer, and people with ideas have trouble getting a foothold in our country's soccer scene! It's a deadly circle..."
"Looking back seven years ago, I was at a campaign to donate 21 pitches to refugee camps in Myanmar and realized that youth soccer in Myanmar had surpassed our country. Since then, our youth training system has lagged behind by more than 10 years compared to countries like Myanmar and Vietnam. I was confused by this, why were people surprised by the loss to Vietnam? Why am I donating to Myanmar? Because charity knows no nationality or race! Although our schools do donate, very few people really understand the development of soccer!"
"Our soccer needs to be respected by the world! First of all, we have the largest number of local soccer celebrities! Secondly, at one time, nine out of ten players at the Hai Ridge Base had been selected for the national team, and the remaining one was a national Olympian! Third, we have the most soccer 'experts'! Fourth, people who come from non-professional soccer are even more professional than professionals in youth training! What a touching soccer environment this is! We encourage crossovers, and only crossovers can make soccer more exciting! Please dissolve the professionals!" (DD)
