On August 1, Hu Xijin, the head of the Global Times, focused on the development of Chinese soccer in an in-depth interview. He firmly believes that soccer, which is regarded as the "oldest problem", will be able to catch up with Japan and South Korea in the future, without any doubt. As long as we are in the right direction, what the Japanese and Koreans can do, we can also do!
I am confident that China will achieve more gold medals in the future," Hu said. Some seemingly hopeless sports, such as soccer, we originally thought would be difficult to break through, but eventually we can reach the level of Japan and South Korea, and I firmly believe that.
"As long as we stick to the right methods, we can achieve our goals. What the Japanese and Koreans can do, why can't we Chinese? What the rest of Asia can achieve, we Chinese will surely be able to do the same.
"Of course, we need to have a long-term vision. At present, the domestic soccer market is exceptionally prosperous, and many people are reluctant to go to Europe and the United States to further their education because they can make a lot of money by playing soccer at home. But this situation needs to change. We should encourage players to go out and face a more competitive environment so that they can be more mature when they come back."
