Chen Xuyuan, the head of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), is under scrutiny for alleged major disciplinary violations. China's soccer world has been in turmoil since last November, when national soccer manager Li Tie was investigated for involvement in the case. Before that, Liu Yi, the former secretary general of the FA, and Chen Yongliang, the head of the national management department, and other key players were also taken away. This series of events brings back memories of the "anti-gambling and anti-black" storm 13 years ago.
After the storm, many people have new expectations for Chinese soccer, but now, a series of "big fish" fell into the net, let the fans deeply frustrated. Where does Chinese soccer go from here? When will the clouds be lifted to see the light of day as the chaos continues? Can the Chinese Football Association give a satisfactory explanation to those who care about it?
Since the "anti-gambling and anti-blackmail" in 2010, Chinese soccer has been lost for more than ten years. The fire of "Golden Dollar Football" once pushed the Chinese Super League to the top of Asia, but in the endless "arms race", investors and players have lost their direction, and the long-term infrastructure construction and youth training have become unsustainable. Today, the Chinese Super League is in decline, the national soccer team has lost many matches, and fans are disillusioned. The FA has seen frequent changes in leadership and the introduction of policies that have failed to solve the problem. Before Chen Xuyuan was investigated, industry insiders have questioned its too eager to make quick profits. Over the years, although the FA team shouted the slogan "respect the laws of soccer", but always go out of the way.
It has been jokingly said that "Chinese soccer doesn't start with the dolls, but with the leaders." Solving the problems of Chinese soccer is not an overnight success. Anti-corruption is to cut out the tumor, to make Chinese soccer new life, must start from respecting the law, rationalize the mechanism and so on. As a matter of fact, what Chinese soccer lacks is not money, but good young players. During the Qatar World Cup, Japan, South Korea and other Asian teams played against European and South American powerhouses, thanks to their excellent youth training. China has only 100,000 youth players under the age of 16, while Japan has more than 800,000 people. Xu Genbao's "Genbao Soccer Base" has trained a number of outstanding players, but it is not enough to change the status quo. If the FA and the industry can follow the rules and seriously rebuild the youth training system, Chinese soccer will have a future.
Soccer is not an overnight business, it requires patience and hard work. Hopefully, after this self-redemption, Chinese soccer will choose the right path. After all, in Asia, we have few rivals to win against.
