China's soccer world is experiencing an unprecedented earthquake, with many well-known figures falling from grace and the fight against corruption intensifying. The recent arrest of Xu Jiayin, former chairman of Evergrande Group, has set off waves like a heavy bomb. Evergrande, the epitome of the Chinese Super League's golden dollar era, had created a glorious era of Chinese soccer, not only dominating the Chinese Super League, but also winning the Asian Championship twice. However, now Guangzhou has hit rock bottom, being relegated to China's first division and almost relegated to the bottom of the table.
Xu Jiayin's relationship with the Chinese Super League and the Football Association is intricate. After he was put under investigation, all kinds of news came pouring in. Among them, Zheng Zhi, the captain of the Guangzhou and Evergrande teams, became a target. A member of the media who called himself "Flying Star Bar" published an article claiming that Zheng Zhi was suspected of serious violations involving huge sums of money and had been taken away for investigation. Once the news was released, it immediately triggered an uproar and a lot of discussion.
The fact that Zheng Zhi is being doubted is not surprising. He was once the pillar of Evergrande and was highly valued by the management. Even if he left later, his relationship with Evergrande is still deep. Therefore, this media person may have concluded that Zheng Zhi has problems based on this speculation. However, he did not produce any hard evidence, so the public's attitude towards this is mostly half-belief.
In addition, Zheng Zhi's clash with fans in the stands after the national soccer team's friendly loss has prejudiced many people into believing that there must be something wrong with him. But as the saying goes, rumors die hard. Zheng Zhi could not have ignored such a major incident. However, instead of responding positively, he proved his innocence by attending photos of the men's soccer training, denying any involvement in any corruption cases.
Numerous industry insiders have also come forward to refute the rumors and malicious slander of media people. Li Xuan, a famous reporter from Football Daily, issued a statement angrily denouncing such irresponsible remarks. Many journalists have also clarified the facts, arguing that this trend of public opinion will put the men's soccer team in a more embarrassing situation. The person who broke the rumor also deleted the article under pressure, probably because he was weak-minded and worried about taking legal responsibility.
Today, there is mostly anger towards men's soccer. However, it is obvious that a more correct approach is needed if the situation is to change. Therefore, for the fans, the most important thing now is to remain calm and restrained, and give the men's soccer team more time to change.
