Feature: When Will China Rise?

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Han Peng , China - Uzbekistan, Asian Cup

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The same can’t be said of football in the capital and elsewhere around the Middle Kingdom. 51,000 fans watched Shanxi Baorong in action recently but such attendances are rare. Those watching Beijing Gouan take on lowly Wuhan at a far from half-full Workers’ Stadium on a Sunday September evening had little to shout about.

For years, Asia and the rest of the world has been waiting for China to burst onto the scene, or at least squeeze into it in the manner of commuters fighting to gain entrance to Xizhimen station in the increasingly affluent north-western reaches of the city. It just hasn’t happened.

After repeated failures by the senior team, the Olympics were supposed to help lift the beautiful game into the realms of respectability but that wasn’t to be either.

“We fought hard but Chinese football is at the same level as Brazilian table tennis,” said Li Weifeng as China was sent crashing out of the Olympics by the Samba stars in August. Li’s anguish of playing just one game for Everton (and any Chinese fan could tell you it came against Southampton in 2002), paled in comparison. Few of the defender’s compatriots would disagree. Except the one that coaches the Brazilian table tennis players. “Brazil is not a weak team,” bristled Wen Jian Ren. “They reached the last 16 in 1996.”

In East Asia, Olympic football is a big deal and never more so than in its own backyard in 2008 and never more so in China just two months after elimination from 2010 World Cup qualification. The hosts targeted a medal but in the words of official news agency Xinhua, “failed disgracefully.” That was about the most positive report.

When it comes to the beautiful game, the Chinese media can say what it likes and with China winning 51 gold medals elsewhere, football was an exposed and easy target with its big talk, dodgy coaching, seemingly disinterested players and administrative incompetence and interference in team affairs.

The first Olympic clash was the three-point banker against a New Zealand team that played the entire second half with ten-men. Even so, only a late equalizer from Dong Fangzhuo - another sad Chinese football story as the player returned home in August from Manchester United after one Premier League appearance in four and a half years on United’s books - earned a 1-1 draw. Belgium took advantage of two Chinese red cards in the next match to win 2-0 to ensure that even a victory against already-qualified Brazil would probably not be enough. That was the case but China lost 3-0 anyway and was lambasted for spinelessly preferring to avoid a thrashing rather than try to get the three points.

Nobody was surprised at the defeat, including the three players who were reportedly seen checking into a hotel and “hugging and embracing” women the night before. One witness said: "I did not think about it too much at the time, but after watching the game the next day and seeing how terribly they played, I knew they were up to no good the night before!"

With the overage trio of Li, Zheng Zhi and Han Peng not performing, and accused by some of not caring, the massive expectations fell on the shoulders of the youngsters. According to Wu Jinqui, former coach of Chinese Super League title contenders Shanghai Shenhua, they just couldn’t cope. “During the games, the players were always nervous,” he told Goal.com. “Our strengths are our pace and teamwork but we couldn’t show this. We lack big tournament experience.” Olympic player Gao Lin agreed telling me: “We didn’t have enough experience. Sometimes, we didn’t know how to deal with new situations on the pitch. We missed too many chances.”

Chinese football is a story of missed chances. A first World Cup in 2002 was followed by a place in the 2004 Asian Cup final. With players venturing overseas, it finally looked as the Middle Kingdom was moving upwards. But then in November 2004, the senior team crashed out of qualification for the 2006 World Cup at the first hurdle. It was a disaster and the Chinese Football Association (CFA) was determined that it would not be repeated at the Olympics.

So a grand plan was announced at the end of 2004 that would send talented Chinese youngsters to a Bad Kissingen training camp for two years to live, breathe, feel and play the European way. It sounded great but Super League teams were up in arms at the prospect of some of their best players leaving for two whole seasons. In the end the clubs got their way though in return had to release their players for friendlies and short training camps upon request or face penalties – possibly financial, points and even relegation.

The youngsters did spend some time in Bad Kissingen before the 2005 Under-20 World Championships. At that Netherlands tournament, they did enough, under veteran German coach Eckhard Krautzen, to suggest that the future was bright. After winning all three group games, only a last-minute German goal, ironically enough, sent the team out. “China have proved we can play football, score goals and play offensively,” said Krautzen.

His days were numbered however as the CFA wanted him out, claiming he was too old. Fresh from leading Ghana to the second round of the 2006 World Cup, Ratomir Dujkovic arrived to take over the Olympic team amid expectations that the silver-haired Serb could do a job. Almost 50 friendlies were arranged around the world, including games against national and leading club sides, as well as extended stays in France and England.

Invited to London in February 2007 by a Chelsea eager to develop links in the Far East, China repaid the Blues by getting involved with former, and perhaps near future, West London rivals QPR. Perhaps the term ‘Unofficial friendly’ doesn’t translate as a spectacular, kung-fu style mass brawl ended with Zheng Tao unconscious and nursing a broken jaw. Most of the blame fell on the Chinese side but players complained of English provocation, both verbal and physical. Either way, Dujkovic wasn’t happy: "You (China) are all football players, not boxers. We all know the opponents' ferocious playing style, that is English football but that is no excuse for violence." Seven players were sent home in disgrace.

That word was was again in the headlines five months later as the senior team exited the Asian Cup at the group stage. After the sacking of Chinese coach Zhu Guanghu, Dujkovic rejected calls for him to take both jobs. But that’s what happened in effect.

Compatriot Vladamir Petrovic was hired to steer the senior team through qualification for the 2010 World Cup but he became little more than Dujkovic’s assistant. It ended in failure. In a group with Australia, Iraq and Qatar, China collected just three points from the opening five games, scoring only twice. Eliminated with a game to spare, the team then went to Australia and won 1-0. The already-qualified hosts used the game as a virtual Olympic warm-up. China, to restore some pride, chose their strongest side.

It was a hollow victory and by that time, Dujkovic’s relationship with the CFA had deteriorated. As well as the World Cup disaster, there had been public accusations that the former Red Star Belgrade goalkeeper was getting all ‘exclusive’ with a female member of the press. It was also widely known that he didn’t want Charlton Athletic midfielder Zheng Zhi in his Olympic team. Then CFA president Xie Yalong did and ‘Zizi’ was called up (after Zheng’s performances which included a sending off due to an elbow, the media now agrees with the former coach).

Three weeks before Beijing 2008 kicked off, Dujkovic was elbowed out to an ‘advisory role’, a move that was in effect a sacking. The familiar figure of Yin Tiesheng took control. Nan Yong, now promoted to replace the unpopular Xie as head of the CFA, told Goal.com that it wasn’t a big deal.

“The decision was made by the board of CFA. It maybe influenced the results a little but it wasn’t the key part,” he said. So what was? “We are going to have a meeting about that.”

Shanghai coach Wu doesn’t agree. “It is really stupid to have such a change before the Olympics. I can't believe what happened.” Neither can Gao Lin. “I think the Serbian was a good coach and most of my team-mates thought so too. I can’t explain it.”

“As a player, I can play in the Olympics only once, but can try to play in the World Cup twice or more. These failures have depressed us and the fans deeply.”    

There isn't much light at the end of the tunnel. The day when the smiling face of Zheng Zhi or Sun Xiang is the last thing that the departing hordes see at the airport instead of Yao Ming still seems as far away as ever.

John Duerden

Asia Editor

john.duerden@goal.com