The CFA, the highest governing body of soccer in China, has traditionally been known for its baffling decisions, leaving the Chinese soccer ecosystem shrouded in mist. Recently, Mourinho, the famous Portuguese manager and Roma manager, accidentally revealed in an interview that he had received an invitation from China. This invitation not only gives him the honor of managing the Chinese national team, but also gives him the opportunity to coach a Chinese Super League team made up entirely of foreign players. Mourinho's revelation instantly set off a scandal involving the Football Association (FA) allegedly joining forces with Guangzhou Evergrande to create a "national soccer team".
Back in late 2018, rumors spread that the Football Association (FA) was planning to set up a "national football training team" to compete in the Chinese Super League (CSL). After obtaining the approval of the Football Association and its upper echelon, Guangzhou Evergrande was "ordered" to collect international players from all over the world and force them to sign at an attractive low price. At that time, some reports mentioned that Evergrande's list of reinforcements included Yan Junling and Wu Lei of Shanghai SIPG, Artemisia Junmin and Wu Xinghan of Shandong Luneng, and Wu Xi of Jiangsu Suning, among other top Chinese Super League local players. However, after encountering a collective boycott by other clubs in the Chinese Super League, the Football Association's "National Football Team" program was forced to be shelved.
At the same time, the Shanghai media revealed that the Asian Cup ended soon, Wu Lei will open the overseas study trip, which is not lacking escape from the "national football special training team" considerations. If Wu Lei stays in the Chinese Super League, he is very likely to be forced to join Evergrande under the pressure of the Football Association, this move is obviously against the wishes of the players, but also let Shanghai SIPG feel uneasy. Therefore, after the end of the Asian Cup, Shanghai SIPG quickly facilitated Wu Lei to join the Spaniards, thus avoiding the risk of joining a potential rival.
However, the "national soccer team" that the FA and Evergrande conspired on has long been an urban legend, due to its many mysterious details and secrecy measures. Now, with Mourinho's confirmation, this national team program developed and executed by the FA, and implemented by Guangzhou Evergrande, has finally been exposed to the public. In fact, a number of European media have reported that Evergrande invited Mourinho to coach with 30 million euros at the beginning of 2019, which coincides with the launch of the "national soccer team" program.
Fortunately, the determined resistance of the Chinese Super League clubs prevented this plan from coming to fruition. Otherwise, it could have become the most notorious scandal in the history of professional league development. The interests involved in forcing the formation of the so-called training team to compete are incalculable. With Du Zhaocai, the then head of the federation, already under investigation, all this may be just the tip of the iceberg of the chaos in Chinese soccer.
