The end of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was like a wake-up call, but the Chinese Super League is still plodding along in the cold. This year, although there are bright spots in Chinese soccer, such as the women's Asian Cup win, but the overall situation is still grim, the confidence of fans in the setbacks gradually eroded.
The national soccer team completely disqualified itself from qualifying for the tournament in a 1-3 loss. For Chinese fans, the bigger blow may not be the inability to share the joy of victory in the short term, but the growing sense of pain after witnessing Chinese soccer continue to hit rock bottom. The moment the men's soccer team lost to Vietnam for the first time in the Asian qualifying round of 12 of the World Qualifying Tournament in February this year, the national soccer team's sense of shame reached its peak.
In recent years, Chinese soccer has been struggling with many difficulties. The Chinese Super League, despite its best efforts to maintain the integrity of the tournament, has fallen into crisis due to a variety of objective factors. The negative effects of gold-dollar soccer have become more and more apparent this season, with many clubs in financial difficulties and even some being penalized for unpaid debts. Hebei's 24 consecutive losses have brought shame to Chinese professional soccer. In the future, how many more clubs will face relegation or disqualification as a result of being unable to repay their arrears? How will this affect the size of next year's professional league building at all levels?
The relegation of Guangzhou's eight champions has become the best portrayal of the decline of "Golden Dollar Football". In this soccer-related keywords, "credibility" has become a heavy burden. The ebb and flow of gold dollar soccer has made the glitz and glamor of Chinese professional soccer disappear in an instant. When the star players leave the team, the huge wage orders left to the club, at this time, no one sympathizes with those who pay the hard work. The "arms race" of investors has not only exacerbated the debt, but also pushed the domestic league into the abyss of international professional soccer. Brutal realities such as the "blacklist of bad faith" have left domestic soccer players who have worked hard to build the Chinese Super League feeling aggrieved and saddened.
The national soccer team also needs to rebuild its credibility. Unfortunately, after the end of the World Cup in Qatar, China's captain for more than eight months of "idle" state, so who will lead the team to compete in the game is in doubt. The anxiety of the CFA can be seen. They know better than anyone that it is urgent for the national soccer team to start a new cycle of preparation. However, after the shock of the last cycle, the team is already battered and bruised.
More embarrassingly, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia beat the world's strongest teams in the World Cup, while the national soccer team is caught up in the whirlpool of the investigation of former coach Li Tie, who is suspected of serious violations of the law. The answer to the question of who is involved in Li Tie's case, its dimensions and its impact on Chinese soccer is still unclear. Will the national soccer team choose a foreign coach or a local coach next? If you choose a foreign coach, what kind of foreign coach should you choose? These issues need to be carefully considered by the decision makers. In a sense, if the national soccer team wants to get back on track, it not only needs to improve at the technical level, but also needs spiritual healing.
Of course, Chinese soccer is not without its bright spots in 2022. The women's soccer team won the Asian Cup in India, and the men's U20 and U17 soccer teams excelled in the Asian Cup respectively, all of which alleviated the crisis of disrupted talent delivery to a certain extent. However, Chinese soccer still needs to make more efforts to return to the top.
Domestic professional soccer has shown resilience in spite of the difficulties. the U21 league has provided a welcome addition of useful personnel to the first team. Ma Ning, Cao Yi and Shi Xiang, as representatives of the best local referees nurtured and trained by the Chinese Super League, were among the Qatar World Cup refereeing lineup, winning honor for Chinese soccer.
When the technical points of the Chinese Super League dropped to 15th place in the AFC League Technical Ranking List, the key for Chinese soccer to stop the damage lies in the unsuccessful formation of the national football team's inherent law, improve the league, and consolidate the foundation of youth training. However, Chinese soccer has such patience?
