by sportswriters He Leijing and Pan Yi
BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- For Chinese football, hope once faded, though it is never gone.
China's men's national team are gearing up for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, despite the difficulties that have blighted the sport in the country in 2023.
Whether China can reach the final eight at the 24-team tournament or even notch some morale-boosting victories remains unclear, but a disheartened legion of Chinese football aficionados is eagerly expecting the team to clear the long-lasting haze.
LOW EBB
Although China rallied to beat Thailand 2-1 in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in November, the team remains at a low ebb, considering its subsequent 3-0 home loss to South Korea just days later.
"We had ups and downs throughout the game. In general, it's an encouraging sign for us," China head coach Aleksandar Jankovic said of the Thailand win, noting that they are on the right path as the national squad has cultivated a strong team spirit.
The men's national team bagged four victories, two draws and four losses in 2023, without making any waves like defeating powerhouses South Korea or Japan. They currently rank 79th worldwide and 11th in the AFC in the latest FIFA rankings.
Expectation and disappointment sometimes go hand in hand, which is the case for China's women's national team. Unlike their male counterparts who have sunk into mediocrity for some time, the women's team, once deemed as the saviors of Chinese football, plummeted into a pit of failure this year.
The Steel Roses, who clinched the AFC Women's Asian Cup title in 2022, failed to survive the group stage of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and lost to a youthful Japan side in the semifinal of their home Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The team has embarked on a rebuilding phase after head coach Shui Qingxia stepped down in November, after a 1-1 draw with South Korea at home ensured they would not qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 2023 Chinese Super League (CSL) reinstated the home-and-away format and welcomed spectators back into stadiums for the first time since the pandemic, which injected fresh enthusiasm into the league, though there remains room for improvement in terms of overall quality.
The rise of fresh talent was less evident, with 32-year-old Wu Lei emerging as the league's top domestic goalscorer with 18 goals. Wu stood second in the scorers' tally and was the only Chinese player in the top nine.
Moreover, several CSL clubs grappled with financial woes amid rumors of wage arrears and teams contemplating withdrawal from the league.
POSITIVE TREND
Despite the travails, the year of 2023 also saw a number of positive changes that enlivened Chinese fans.
Li Tie, former head coach of the men's national team, was indicted in August on suspicion of paying and taking bribes. More than 10 officials from the Chinese Football Association (CFA), including its former president Chen Xuyuan, have been placed under investigation since November 2022.
As the anti-corruption endeavor in the sport is yet to wane, senior sports official Song Kai was elected CFA president in October. Fans have pinned their hopes on the leadership reshuffle to revitalize Chinese football.
"We will try our best to build a more united, more hardworking, more open, more transparent and more courageous CFA in the future," Song said, noting that they will make use of the next ten years to promote the healthy development of Chinese football.
His viewpoints, including "long-term and steady plans are required," and "youth development is foremost," are echoed by many insiders.
The aspirations of many Chinese football stars have not dwindled. 28-year-old women's international Wang Shuang has inked a contract with Tottenham Hotspur and is set to represent the club until 2026, joining her 22-year-old national teammate Zhang Linyan in London.
Elsewhere Li Changyi, a former goalkeeper of the men's national U19 team, penned a two-year contract with Spain's second-tier SD Huesca.
In November, the CFA reached cooperation with Germany's Bundesliga to send China's men's U16 team to train with three Bundesliga clubs to help the young players broaden their horizons.
A SHIMMERING FUTURE
Through venturing into overseas teams, young talents are paving a brighter future for Chinese football on the global stage. And more encouragingly, the emphasis on youth development has been increasingly highlighted in China.
The CFA has consolidated a comprehensive league format for youth competition that encompasses a more structured nationwide system to search for amateur talents.
The CFA also aims to improve coaching quality at youth levels, introducing international coaches in youth projects, and partnering with AFC and FIFA to explore hosting more youth-centered top-level events in China.
Reaping the dividends is expected to be protracted, with a priority on long-term sustainability over immediate glory.
Chinese football is also regaining support from fans. Besides the unremitting village sport frenzy, the CSL season, with 666 goals scored in 240 matches, was characterized by fierce competition for both the title and survival.
The season witnessed an average of around 20,000 fans per match, and Beijing Guoan's clash against Shanghai Shenhua drew a record-breaking 52,500 spectators.
Back to the national team, China still holds a chance of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. "We are all pushing in the same direction, which is very, very important," Jankovic remarked.
But for Chinese football overall, the bigger game ahead is not a sprint, but a marathon. ■
