On the night of March 22, the dust settled from the World Qualifier and the Chinese national soccer team drew 2-2 with Singapore despite leading 2-0.
Today, media personality Pan Weili spoke out on his social media, revealing through a video that if the national soccer team fails to advance into the top 18, he strongly advocates for all international players over the age of 30 to leave the team and be replaced by post-00 players.
In the video, Pan Weili said, "If the Chinese men's soccer team really misses out on the top 18 in the world qualifiers, I agree that the team should undergo a radical change, and that all veterans over the age of 30 and players before the age of 95 should be withdrawn from the national team. In this regard, I have the following three insights.
"First and foremost, whenever the national football team fails to meet its expected goals, the loudest cry in the court of online public opinion is XXX. XXX should quickly leave the national team, but I would like to say this: it is not that they are unwilling to quit, but that they are unable to do so. In my interactions with international players, I have the deep impression that many national team players aged 30 and above are actually unwilling to play for their country because we are all well aware of the national team's bleak prospects at this stage of their careers. Apart from wasting their time and bearing the blame, they are faced with high risk and zero reward. In fact, they know their families by heart ......
"Secondly, why can't Chinese players opt out of the national team? Because the public opinion environment we live in requires that the individual cannot give up the collective, but only the collective can give up the individual. We have witnessed the development of international soccer for so many years. Even when foreign players are at the playing age of 28, as long as they feel that they are unable to contribute to the national team or become dissatisfied with their coaches, they have the right to choose not to play for the national team anymore without being subjected to a moral judgment, which is regarded as their legitimate right to autonomy. However, in the climate of public opinion in our country, such a choice is not allowed. If you voluntarily reject the national team during a competition year or when invited by a coach, sorry, you will not be able to play for the national team or in the Chinese Super League. You can only dream about this if you still want to make a living. This is exactly our public opinion environment: players never have the right, nor the qualification, to abandon the national team. As far as I remember, Zhang Linlian ended his international career on his own accord in public, and he was the first person ever to do so. If public opinion and the national team can accept his request, I think it's an advancement of public opinion and of the times, and that's exactly what we should pursue."
"Thirdly, why do I support the full renewal of the national team? In the group photo I posted two days ago, I spoke with national team members Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Shenglong, and I saw hope in the eyes of the post-00s players because they are young and have expectations and aspirations for the national team. They are looking forward to their careers as individual international players and the future of the national team. However, when talking to international players in their 30s, I felt their helplessness. If the national soccer team does flirt with the top 18 in the World Qualifiers, there will be no official matches for the next three years. If they still hold out at this point, then the veterans ......
