Soccer fans, I'm afraid you can't stay away from the latest developments in domestic soccer without hearing about the recent drastic changes in the Chinese Football Association (CFA). Song Kai, the Liaoning-born former head of the Sports Bureau, has quickly taken the stage as the new helmsman of Chinese soccer. Not long ago, the new CFA president stood in the spotlight for the first time and gave an initial blueprint for the future of soccer.
Several domestic media reported that Song Kai recently visited Weifang, Shandong Province, to observe the second round of the U15 final of the Mid-Youth Championship and present the trophy to the winning team of Shandong Taishan U15. This was his first public event as FA president. Fans and media have been looking forward to him, wondering how he will help revitalize Chinese soccer.
On October 22nd at 7pm, Song Kai responded positively to a number of questions at a media conference. Talking about the future focus of the Football Association, Song Kai firmly said: "We must regard youth training as the top priority. Chinese soccer to take a long march, the first task is to strengthen the youth training, from the root to start! Currently, there is a big gap between the treatment of youth training coaches and that of first-team coaches. We must reverse this situation so that more excellent coaches can devote themselves to youth training. At the same time, we will establish a better competition system to provide players with more competition opportunities."
Song Kai also dismissed one by one the controversial policies implemented by the FA in the past. He stated, "The CFA can no longer introduce high-profile policies. New policies must meet the expectations of society, which is my first principle in office. The policy must be more open and must not go backwards. In the past, China has introduced exciting initiatives in the league, such as the U23 policy, and such a good show will not be repeated!"
Song Kai also revealed at the media conference that the FA is actively bidding to host the World Youth Championships and the World U17 Championships and has started some discussions with FIFA. He believes that the two top youth tournaments will settle in China in the near future. As hosts, the Chinese National Youth and National Junior Teams will be given priority to participate in the tournaments, which is undoubtedly a huge benefit for them as they have not appeared on the stage of the World Championships for a long time.
Song Kai's statement has won the praise of many fans, many feel relieved to see the hope of the rise of the national football team. However, whether the FA will be able to practice what it preaches in the future is still a big question mark that remains to be seen. We can only wait for time and expect it to reveal the answer for us.
