As the 2022 World Cup draws nearer and nearer, the attention of the Chinese men's soccer team seems to be decreasing day by day, but those "fringe" topics begin to become the focus. Recently, several senior soccer media people have spoken out, predicting that the World Cup will usher in a "shocking" event in Chinese soccer. This prediction is not empty, because in the past few days, a series of scandals and crises involving Chinese soccer have emerged like a tidal wave, which seems to indicate that a "big event" is about to unfold.
Among the many scandals, Hebei's crisis over unpaid player wages is particularly notable. It is reported that Hebei players have not been paid for three consecutive years, and the club has even been abandoned by its parent company. Not long ago, Hebei player Ding Haifeng publicly demanded that his wages be paid, but only received an official statement that his wages could not be paid. With the news of the club's possible dissolution and the Football Association's deduction of points for non-compliance with salary arrears, it is uncertain whether the team will be able to finish the season. If the Hebei team announces its dissolution during the World Cup, it will undoubtedly be a major tragedy in the history of the Chinese Super League.
In addition, a major scandal in the Chinese soccer league has been the outbreak of a match-fixing scandal. During the 28th round match between Heilongjiang Bingcheng and Nantong Zhiyun, the media revealed that members of the coaching staff were present at the match to reveal "betting terms" to the players, which was suspected to be gambling. As a matter of fact, there have been many rumors of suspected match-fixing in this season's League One, which has become an open secret for some teams and players who are in deep financial crisis. But this time, they were directly caught "pigtails", triggering unprecedented attention.
There is also a scandal involving "former coaches" of the former national soccer team. Recently, the media reported that people who were supposed to be attending coach training activities were suddenly taken away by officials for questioning and have not been heard from since. When this news came out, there was a lot of speculation in the outside world. Almost all the coaches who worked for the national soccer team, such as Li Tie, have become objects of suspicion.
From the CFA's point of view, no matter which of the three scandals mentioned above eventually breaks out, it will bring a serious joint crisis to Chinese soccer. This year, in the face of the plight of Chinese soccer, the attitude of the FA in dealing with the problems has always been to cover them up regardless of their size. However, judging from the current situation, the FA may not be able to continue to cover up these problems.
