While Li Tie was under investigation for three months, Chen Xuyuan was arrested in just a week, and a series of behind-the-scenes news came one after another, involving many officials. Even soccer celebrity Yuan Jia revealed that at least three of the people involved have fled to the United States. The anti-corruption storm has spread from the internet to the real world. From Li Tie to Chen Yongliang, Liu Yi, Wang Dengfeng, to Chen Xuyuan, from Shanghai SIPG, the men's national soccer team to the CFA, the hidden chain of interests gradually surfaced. The power of this anti-corruption storm should not be underestimated.
With senior FA officials being taken away one after another, the CFA is facing difficulties in its operations. Li Xuan, a famous domestic soccer commentator, pointed out on social media that less than a week after Chen Xuyuan's arrest, investigations into Chen Xuyuan, Chen Yongliang, Liu Yi and others had already been launched, and the management of the CFA was almost in a vacuum. Against this backdrop, Du Zhaocai, party secretary of the CFA and deputy director of the General Administration of Sport, took over the helm of the federation and began to take on specific management tasks. But his first task is to deal with public pressure!
According to Li Xuan, Du Zhaocai first adjusted the publicity work and reorganized the publicity management team, headed by Yan Zhanhe, secretary of the Discipline Inspection Committee of the Football Association, and Dai Xiaowei, head of the media department of the Football Association. Obviously, Du Zhaocai took office after the first task is to pay attention to public opinion dynamics. At a time when many FA officials have been taken away, the image of the CFA is in dire need of reshaping. However, Li Xuan cryptically stated, "As to whether all the leaders are safe, I don't know."
However, Du Zhaocai's MLA has sparked widespread controversy among fans. At this point, the CFA should have been reflecting and self-examining to make plans for the future of the Chinese Super League and the national team, but instead they focused on public opinion. It is important to realize that much of the deterioration of the CFA's image stems from its unwillingness to listen to fans and internal corruption.
Meanwhile, the investigation of Chen Xuyuan, the president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), has attracted widespread attention from mainstream soccer media around the world. French newspaper L'Equipe, Bloomberg, the Financial Times, Dutch newspaper Telecom, and Japan's Asahi Shimbun have reported on the anti-corruption situation in Chinese soccer. The last time the global mainstream media paid so much attention to Chinese soccer was when the naturalization policy of the men's football team caused controversy. It can be said that Chinese men's soccer has attracted worldwide attention.
While Li Tie is under investigation, the position of head coach of the Chinese men's national team remains vacant. Yankovic, who currently coaches China's U23 national team, is expected to replace Li Tie as the new national team head coach, but the panel will continue to interview and discuss. At this time, an overseas coach took the initiative to recommend Mao Sui. He is Park Hang-su, the current head coach of the Vietnam men's national soccer team.
According to South Korea's Naver media, Park Hang-su said on his return to South Korea that he would consider coaching the men's national soccer team if the Chinese Football Association invites him. In addition, Park Heng-su made it clear that he would not renew his contract with the Vietnam men's soccer team when it expires, not to mention coaching the Korean team, and said he would choose to retire after 2-3 years. It can be said that Park Heng-su is showing goodwill to the CFA.
Vietnamese soccer media reported that Park Hang-su has not only verbalized his stance, but his team has taken the initiative to contact the Chinese Football Association (CFA), waiting for an invitation. Regardless of his future destination, he said this will be the last stop of his coaching career. As for why he likes Chinese men's soccer, I am afraid that he is expecting the high salary of the national soccer coach.
While many people are not familiar with Park Hang-su, the Vietnamese men's soccer team is widely known. We all remember that the Chinese men's soccer team lost 1:3 to the Vietnamese men's soccer team in the Top 12 match during the Lunar New Year 2022. At that time, it was Park Hang-su who led the team to beat the national soccer team. His coaching ability is obvious to all, and the progress of the Vietnamese men's soccer team is also praiseworthy.
Finally, the authoritative soccer media, Soccer Daily, revealed three important events to Chen Xuyuan. The first was Chen Xuyuan's relationship with Chen Yongliang, the executive deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Football Association (CFA). One of Chen Yongliang's incidents has been confirmed; he was involved in a case involving more than one million dollars. However, when Chen Xuyuan reported it to the General Administration of Sport, some leaders questioned why Chen Xuyuan kept him in the CFA. This is part of the investigation.
The second involves Li Tie. After Li Tie became the head coach of the men's soccer team, his former employer, Wuhan Zhuoer FC, still had to pay him $30 million a year in after-tax wages. Chen Xuyuan tried to convince Li Tie to pay back the money, but Li Tie rejected his proposal. Li Tie even took out the case of Lippi to prove that his 30 million from Wuhan Zall was reasonable and compliant. Chen Xuyuan wanted Li Tie to repay the loan, but Li Tie stuck to his guns and dug a big hole for Chen Xuyuan.
The third one is that Chen Xuyuan has always wanted to set up a professional league, but it has been rejected by the General Administration of Sport many times. Nowadays, the fight against corruption in Chinese soccer has become a global concern. Many mainstream media are clamoring for further investigations to root out corruption once and for all!
