The Chinese Super League has been won by Wuhan Ma, but the journey of Chinese soccer has not come to an end and the flame of the FA Cup is still burning. The tournament is attractive to the promoted teams such as Shanghai Port, Shandong Taishan, Chengdu Chengdu and Zhejiang. Not only is the glory of national soccer at stake, but qualification for the AFC Champions League is also closely linked.
However, Wuhan Sanzhen, who have just won the title, have chosen to withdraw from the competition. The coaching staff and foreign aiders have all returned home, and they obviously won't be present for the January 4 FA Cup clash with Shandong Taishan.
Wuhan Sanzhen's decision seems to have a deeper understanding of the "human condition" of Chinese soccer than Guangzhou's Evergrande, the former Guangzhou Evergrande.
In fact, many fans blame Guangzhou Evergrande's "gold dollar soccer" for the current level of Chinese soccer. But behind the huge investment of Guangzhou Evergrande, will it really lead to the decline of the whole Chinese soccer?
From the Premier League's Chelsea's "gold dollar soccer" to Manchester City's entry, to the rise of La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1, gold dollar soccer has not destroyed these leagues. Real Madrid and Barcelona's huge investment has not led to the bankruptcy of La Liga, Juventus's annual investment is even more than ac Milan, Roma and other teams, Serie A has not closed down. Not to mention Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in French La Liga.
Fans and media people criticize Guangzhou partly because of its past monopoly of almost all domestic championships, which inspires the desire of other teams to compete. Objectively speaking, if one can only be an onlooker, it is only natural to be jealous and envious of Guangzhou.
When Guangzhou team is facing a financial crisis and the golden dollar investment is no longer sustainable, public anger and boycott are naturally inevitable. Worse still, the Guangzhou team not only lacked understanding of the world, but also appeared to be arrogant and insolent. The general manager's "you can't steal it if you don't give it to me" comment is even more deeply rooted in people's minds, and is at odds with the usual low-key introversion of the Guangzhou people.
Now, Wuhan Sanzhen gave up the FA Cup title, obviously understanding the rules of domestic soccer and unwilling to follow the footsteps of Guangzhou team. After all, with the strength of Wuhan Sanzhen's foreign aid and the influence of Guangzhou's many powerful players, it is not easy for other teams to compete for the FA Cup title.
