The long-awaited moment has finally arrived.
Inside the stadium on Xinhua Road in Wuhan, Nian Weisi, president of the Football Association, announced to the public in a solemn tone:
"On behalf of the Football Leading Group of the National Sports Commission and the CFA, I officially appoint Gao Fengwen as the new head coach of our soccer team."
History has handed the baton to the usually taciturn northeastern man, and the turmoil in Chinese men's soccer has come to an end.
Opinions vary on what happened after the game.
Over a period of time, some Western media outlets have interpreted the event in a controversial way, calling it:
"The riots prove that China has successfully completed its journey back to the world stage."
Fortunately, our relevant authorities did not blindly follow suit and quickly arrested several perpetrators. Hu Yaobang also paid personal attention to the matter.
While the social unrest has subsided, the chaos in Chinese soccer has just begun.
Zeng Xuelin, the head coach of the National Football League at the center of the storm, submitted his resignation after a struggle.
In fact, the day after the 519 loss, Zeng Shuai spoke with Li Menghua and Yuan Weimin, the heads of the National Sports Commission. At that time, Li Menghua did not appear as a leader, but reassured Zeng Shuai that:
"Think calmly and summarize carefully."
These words deeply touched Zeng Shuai, who pulled himself together and resolved to return to the head coaching position. However, in the next few days, several colleagues from the soccer division of the Sports Commission found Zeng Shuai and said in a conspiratorial tone:
"In the 1981 World Qualifiers, we were washed out by the West Asians, but this time, lost to Hong Kong, one of our big cities. Even after years of managing soccer, repeated defeats calm older people. But the 519 is too special."
In the face of this unprecedented defeat, he is the only one who can pick up the pieces.
So the old man made a conditional promise with his old superior, Yuan Weimin:
"Take over the National Football League, but only for one year, to pave the way."
One of the first things Nian Weisi did when he took over was to move his student, former National Youth Team head coach Gao Fengwen, into the coaching team.
Nian Weisi never hid his admiration for Gao Fengwen because he had dared to fight in his playing days and sometimes even fought as hard as he could to grab the ball. In one match, Gao Fengwen's leg was hit by the ball, but he endured the severe pain and passed the ball out. At that time, Nian Weisi always told the players around him:
"Look at Ko Fung Man, that's kicking ass!"
Anyone with a discerning eye knows that this is the successor the old man has chosen for himself.
Of course, Gao Fengwen also knew the significance of his teacher's choice of coaching staff. For the next year, he devoted himself to his work as an assistant coach, working with Nian Weisi to select international players and lead team training.
However, the efforts of the master and apprentice duo did not yield significant results.
After the 519 incident, the national soccer team was swept 0-3 by Australia in the Safety Cup; after returning home, they were beaten by a local team on National Day night; and they were eliminated by Kuwait from the Asian Games in Seoul, finishing only eighth and becoming the only three-team team without a gold medal at the Asian Games.
Nevertheless, Nian Weisi was convinced that he was not wrong. At the end of one year, he officially handed over the whip to his favorite student.
Technically, it was the first time that Chinese soccer broke out of Asia and made it to the stage of a world tournament. As a result, the shining names are remembered - Jia Xiuquan, Li Huayun, Mai Chao, Liu Haiguang ......
Before entering the national team's coaching staff, Gao Fengwen also led the national team to enter the last eight in the Kodak Cup, slightly dispersing the "519" haze that hung over Chinese soccer at the time.
In fact, when Summit Man led a group of kids to fame, many called for him to take over the national soccer team. But he kept it a secret, and whenever reporters asked, he just smiled:
"Is that possible?"
However, all these "problems" were skillfully solved by Nian Weisi, who, despite all the verbal criticism, handed over the whip to Gao Fengwen. Why is Nian Weisi so determined?
This easy-goingness is a sign of good personal character, but it's certainly a disaster for a team that relies on performance.
Gao Fengwen, on the other hand, is diametrically opposed to Tsang Suet Lin's character, and no one can change what he thinks, no matter how big you are.
In this way, Gao Fengwen started the reconstruction of the national team with the trust of his teachers and the expectation of the whole nation. He touched the soul of the Chinese men's soccer team and "set things right" according to his own ideas.
Zeng Xuelin used to focus on individual skills and pass control, but Gao Fengwen believes that one of the major reasons why Chinese teams repeatedly fall down at critical moments is that they don't pay attention to defense. Therefore, when selecting players, he pays great attention to physical quality. Technical players such as Li Huayun and Gao Hongbo are either not used or not used at all. Tactically, Gao Fengwen also focuses on defensive counter-attacks and getting through the half-court quickly.
Less than a year later, the Gauchos were born!
May 20, 1987, two years after the 519 incident. Ko Fung Man led the national soccer team to beat Hong Kong 1-0. The match not only shamed the national soccer team, but also earned Ko Fung Man a ticket to the 1988 Seoul Olympic qualifying finals.
Five months later, in front of thousands of Japanese fans at Tokyo's National Stadium, the Gauchos lost in the first round but beat Japan 2-0 in unfavorable conditions on the road to reach the Olympic qualifiers.
Back in the half, Gao Fengwen replaced midfielder Wu Qunli, and the national soccer team blew a counterattack. In the 18th minute of the second half, Wu Qunli broke through the penalty area with the ball and was brought down by a Saudi defender, and Mai Chao scored from the penalty spot.
In the 21st minute of the second half, it was another tricky shot from Mai Chiu that knocked the door off Saudi Arabia again.
On a rainy night in Singapore, the Chinese men's soccer team staged a rare comeback.
When the final whistle blew, Gao Fengwen, known as the "cold-faced man", rarely smiled, as if he had crossed the threshold of Saudi Arabia, the Chinese team could touch the turf of the Apennine Peninsula.
In 14 days, the last match of the final round of Asian qualifiers for the World Cup in Italy was played between China and Qatar.
Despite a 2-1 comeback in the last three minutes of the second match, the UAE lost to South Korea by one goal in the third match; however, Xie Yuxin kept his hopes of qualifying for the World Cup alive with a 1-0 win over North Korea in the fourth match.
In the final match, China will be on Italian soil as long as they beat Qatar and South Korea don't lose to the UAE!
In order to prevent a repeat of the tragedy created by Saudi Arabia eight years ago, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) put pressure on the AFC and South Korea through various channels. AFC Secretary General Virapane said that if there is any indiscipline in the final round, it will be severely punished! South Korea's captain Oh Man-kyun also said that South Korea will abide by the Olympic spirit and strive for victory in every match.
Black for three minutes.
Summit Man, who saw everything from the sidelines, was so stunned that he sat down in the coach's box. Old Wise, who saw everything from the stands, suddenly felt a weakness in his legs, and he seemed to lose his ability to stand immediately, so he hit his right leg.
So far, the person in question can't explain why this behavior occurred in those three minutes. But any explanation pales in comparison. Because public opinion, has surged.
"Why don't you use Gao Hongbo!"
"Gu Guangming played so well in Germany, why not use him!"
"Nepotism in Ko Fung Man! Sidelining players from other places!"
Vicious words were spewed on the man they once considered a hero. Overnight, Gao Fengwen's hair turned gray and his wrinkles increased. On the way home, no one from the national team spoke.
