News came in on August 5 that the Chinese women's soccer team beat England 1-6 in the group stage, however, right behind this victory, a controversy about head coach Shui Qingxia quietly fermented.
After losing their first World Cup group game, player Xiao Yuyi posted a document on social media platforms questioning Shui Qingxia's coaching position. Domestic media pointed out that today's women's soccer lineup of international players seems to have surpassed the strength of the head coach.
In this World Cup, Asia Cup winner Xiao Yuyi was baffled when she failed to get a minute of playing time even though she was unharmed.
On August 3, when the Chinese women's soccer team returned home from Australia, Xiao Yuyi posted a meaningful quote on social media, "I was going to the bright moon..." The second half of the sentence reads, "The bright moon shines in the ditch," from the Yuan opera Pipa Ji, to express the fact that they have worked hard but have not received the recognition they deserve.
In fact, Xiao Yuyi, Tang Jiali, Wang Linlin, Dou Jiaxing, Shen Mengyu and many other players, as well as the head coach Shui Qingxia, have suffered varying degrees of snow in this World Cup. The media and fans have questioned this.
In response, Li Xuan, a reporter from Soccer Daily, spoke up for Shui Qingxia on social media, pointing out that in China, women's national team players are indeed stronger than their coaches.
Even with poor results, head coaches are often blamed, such as Jia Xiuquan and Shui Qingxia, for why they go somewhere, why they don't go somewhere. Accusations rise and fall, and there are even voices proposing a coaching change. Despite the scarcity of good women's soccer coaches, the experience of men's soccer can be borrowed to women's soccer.
However, international players in women's soccer are treated differently. They are basically supported and cared for regardless of their performance. Even if the players are emotional after a match, they are mostly understood and the players do not have to worry about the performance of the national team.
In response, netizens have said, "If men's soccer is not good, how can women's soccer be good."
"Like European women's football, which is a complete copy of the successful soccer system of the men's league, England women's football is even more masculine in its style of play."
"Good is good, bad is bad. Sister Shui can't take all the blame for this."
"Isn't the coach responsible? Players don't get to decide on tactics and employment, and coaches need to be held accountable even if their team is underperforming."
"It's not the same, who in men's soccer hasn't been yelled at?"
"The main reason for this is that there have been excellent results in the past and it has left a good impression in the minds of the fans."
"It's all about long-established word-of-mouth quite different from men's soccer; there's no such thing as love without a cause or hate without a cause. There is a deep historical background of intolerance towards men's soccer and understanding and care for women's soccer. In terms of the spirit of the game, women's soccer is doing better than men's soccer."
