February 15, Beijing news, South Korea's well-known media naver recently analyzed the development of Chinese soccer dilemma. They believe that Chinese soccer has gone astray from the very beginning, forming an "inverted pyramid"-style error pattern.
According to the report, the situation of Chinese soccer has been worrisome lately, with most of the teams in the Chinese Super League facing financial difficulties last season. Even though the national team has absorbed a number of Brazilian players, the team was crushed early in the Round of 12. In contrast, the women's soccer team won the Asian Cup, while the men's soccer team's performance paled in comparison. Former international soccer player Sun Jihai once said bluntly, "Out of a population of 1.4 billion, how many children are willing to choose soccer?" The Korean media pointed out that although there are many people who love soccer, very few of them are actually exposed to it from childhood, which has become their Achilles' heel.
However, despite the obvious problems, there is a lack of patience for improvement. Although "gold-dollar soccer" has attracted a great deal of attention, quality players cannot be built with money in the short term. Changes in the general soccer environment are also crucial.
The Korean media pointed out that Chinese soccer has been wrong from the very beginning. While other countries cultivate good players through the youth training system, China has chosen the "inverted pyramid" model, importing foreign players from the outside to compete with Chinese players, with the intention of raising the level of adult players. This model has ultimately resulted in youth players not getting the chance to train, creating a "building on the beach".
South Korean media said that China envies South Korea for having so many outstanding players and is surprised that South Korea, with a population of only 100 million, can produce so many world-class stars. However, there is a huge difference between China and South Korea in the development of soccer. South Koreans not only like to watch football, more enthusiastic about playing football, youth training system continues to improve. China, on the other hand, seems to be huge, but it is not enough.
Korean media cited Vietnam's manager Park Hang-su and Indonesia's men's soccer head coach Shin Tae-ryong as examples, praising them for raising the level of their national teams by developing young players. Despite the difficult process, this is the right approach and Chinese soccer should learn from it. (DD)
