Sources at the Chinese Football Association (CFA) have revealed that the policy on foreign aid in the Chinese Super League (CSL) may be adjusted next season, with the intention of stimulating the competitive level of international players by relaxing restrictions.
However, the strategy of treating the head when there is a headache and treating the foot when there is a foot sore is often counterproductive. Like the arms race in history, simply pursuing an increase in the quantity of foreign aid is not the fundamental solution to the problem. Such a response is obviously not wise enough.
The Indian Premier League and the Saudi Arabian League are examples. Despite the fact that the two leagues are full of foreign aid, the final results are not satisfactory and the reforms have not met the expectations. If the Chinese Super League follows in their footsteps, it is likely to suffer the same fate.
Even if the Chinese Super League relaxes its foreign aid policy and opens up the market, the improvement in overall performance may not be significant. After all, who dares to easily invest huge sums of money? Who can be sure to buy the desired players? The volatility of the market is a cause for concern, and the risk of investing in a fruitless endeavor makes many people apprehensive.
In contrast, improving the competitiveness of international players through foreign aid is a viable strategy. In the past, Guangzhou's high-priced imported stars did not perform in proportion to their inputs, especially in terms of their contribution to the national team. Therefore, we should return to rationality and find the right path.
When choosing foreign players, there is no need to pursue top stars such as Crow, Messi and Benzema. What we need more are players with solid basic skills and a genuine love for soccer, such as players from Eastern Europe's Czech Republic and Norway, or from Japan and South Korea. Their arrival will help improve the basic skills and tactical level of international players, which will lead to a qualitative leap in passing, ball control, dribbling and shooting. In this way, we are expected to stand out in the Asian region.
In that case, 8.5 foreign aid places are sufficient, so what reason do we have to worry about not being able to enter the World Cup?
In conclusion, relaxing the restrictions on foreign aid is feasible, but we should avoid going to extremes; when buying players, we should choose professional players who can really play a role; and the policy should be stable and should not be subject to frequent changes. Only in this way can we go farther and farther on the road of soccer.
