January 15, Jiangsu Suzhou witnessed a historic moment - Shandong Taishan team in the final of the AFC Cup, with a wonderful long-distance shot, with a score of 1:0 to beat the Zhejiang team, glory crowned. Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Bo recorded this exciting moment.
Shandong Taishan scored three goals in the 89th minute of the final, a feat that went a long way towards soothing the disappointment of not winning the Chinese Super League title, as the 2022 Chinese soccer season came to a close on the evening of January 15th. Although there weren't many goals scored, the FA Cup final was certainly a feast on the technical and tactical levels. The foreigners cooperated with each other on the offensive end, while the local players showed the style of "finishers", which is the best reflection of the Chinese Super League's "internal and external cultivation".
However, compared to this exciting final, the 2022 work summary and the 2023 work plan are the "lynch pin" of Chinese soccer. Fans are looking forward to seeing a new face of Chinese soccer in 2023, and it all depends on the decisions of the top management. In the new year, the Chinese national team will be in full swing, which is unprecedented since the "professional reform" in 1994.
In November 2023, the national soccer team will go directly to the second stage of the 36-team Asian qualifying tournament for the U.S.-Canada-Mexico World Cup. The team will need to win international matches in March and June to build up an advantage for the 36-team tournament. The national women's soccer team, which is currently preparing for the tournament in Haikou, has the triple task of the World Cup, the Asian Games and the Olympic qualifiers. Shui Qingxia and her teammates will face a tough challenge: on July 20, the Women's World Cup will be held in New Zealand, Australia, and the Chinese team's goal is to "reach the top eight"; on July 22, the match against Denmark will determine whether they can successfully advance to the tournament. Hangzhou Asian Games will be held in late September to early October, the women's soccer team will strive to recover as soon as possible after the World Cup, and the Paris Olympic Games qualifying tournament at the end of October is not to be missed.
In addition, on March 20, the national youth will travel to Uzbekistan to participate in the U20 Asian Cup, competing for a place in the World Youth Championships; on May 17, the national youth will compete in the U17 Asian Cup in Thailand, competing for the World Junior Championships tickets.2023, the schedule of Chinese soccer is full.
Despite the pressure of the tournament, it is not the core task of Chinese soccer. Du Zhaocai, deputy director of the State General Administration of Sports and secretary of the Party Committee of the Football Association, and Chen Xuyuan, president of the Football Association, emphasized in the Executive Committee that promoting the healthy development of professional leagues, strengthening the work of youth soccer, strengthening the construction of the Association itself, and strengthening the governance of the industry atmosphere are the "lifeline" of Chinese soccer.
On August 22, 2019, the CFA held a general meeting at its Xianghe base to elect members of the new executive committee. Three and a half years later, except for the Chinese women's soccer team's reversal victory in the Asian Cup, the performance of other national teams is not ideal. The national football team has suffered repeated defeats in the 12 strong matches, and even had an embarrassing 0:2 defeat against Vietnam.2022 In November, Li Tie, the former head coach of the national football team, was suspected of serious violations of the law, which triggered the anger and disappointment of the fans. Strengthening the Football Association's own construction and management of the industry's atmosphere has become a top priority.
In the new season, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) will strictly enforce the league's entry system and put an end to the phenomenon of defaulting teams appearing in professional leagues. The Chinese Super League and the Chinese League A are planning to reduce the number of teams, and top-level design is also brewing to avoid risks. After years of turmoil, especially the three closed seasons, the theme of Chinese soccer in 2023 is still "self-cultivation".
