The Chinese soccer world is being hit by an unprecedented wave. The fight against corruption seems to be intensifying with the fall of a number of heavyweights one after another. In particular, the recent arrest of Xu Jiayin is like a heavy bomb, setting off a chain reaction. Evergrande, as the iconic company of the Chinese Super League's "Golden Dollar Era", has led the Chinese league into its most glorious chapter, not only building a dynasty in the Chinese Super League, but also winning the Asian Championship twice. However, the Guangzhou team is now in the doldrums, relegated to China's first division, almost becoming the bottom team.
Xu Jiayin's entanglements with the Chinese Super League and the Football Association are intricate. After he was formally investigated, a series of news broke one after another, in which Zheng Zhi, the former captain of Guangzhou and Evergrande, was the first to be targeted. A member of the media named "Flying Star Bar" claimed that Zheng Zhi was suspected of major violations involving huge amounts of money and had been taken away for investigation. This news, once released, immediately triggered widespread concern and heated debate.
The fact that there are doubts about Zheng Zhi is not surprising. He was once a mainstay of Evergrande and was favored by the management during his time with the team. Even if he later chose to leave, his ties with Evergrande remained strong. Therefore, that media person's speculation may have stemmed from such speculation, but lacking substantial evidence, everyone's attitude is generally half-hearted.
In addition, the loss of the national soccer team in a friendly match and Zheng Zhi's clashes with fans in the stands led many to prematurely jump to conclusions about him, suggesting that he was suspected of corruption. However, "rumors stop at the wise man", Zheng Zhi naturally would not sit back and ignore such a significant impact. Instead of coming out directly to dispel the rumors, he proved his innocence through photos of him participating in men's soccer training, denying that he was involved in any corruption cases.
Numerous industry insiders have also come forward to refute those rumors and malicious slander. Li Xuan, a senior reporter from Soccer Daily, even issued a special statement denouncing such nonsense. Numerous journalists followed suit, agreeing that this approach would only put the men's soccer team in a more embarrassing situation. The source of the rumor also deleted the post under pressure to avoid the wind, seemingly afraid of legal responsibility.
At the moment, there is a general mood of anger towards the men's soccer team. However, it is clear that a more correct approach is needed if the situation is to change. Therefore, what fans can do now is to stay calm and give the men's soccer team more time to realize the change.
