Asian Debate: Can China Finally Defeat South Korea And End 'Koreaphobia'?

There is one achievement that has eluded the world’s most populous nation so far but that could change on Wednesday evening.

In the second match of the 2010 East Asian Championships in Tokyo, China faces South Korea looking for a first ever win against its neighbour.

It has never happened before. In 27 meetings at full international and Olympic level since the two teams first met in 1978, China has yet to triumph.

Such a terrible record has lead to a great deal of debate and soul-searching among the media and fans in Beijing. It has even led to a new word “Koreaphobia’ which was coined in China and then taken up with relish by reporters in Seoul.

After failing to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, this year was never going to be a vintage one for Chinese soccer but few predicted just how badly it would start.

A match-fixing scandal has broken out at home and resulted in the departure of Nan Yong, the executive vice-president of the Chinese Football Association. So serious is the scandal that the 2010 league season could be delayed while investigations continue.

The East Asian championship could provide a welcome distraction and give fans, travelling home all over the Middle Kingdom for the New Year festivities, something to smile about.

China won the biennial four-nation tournament in 2005 and while doing the same in Tokyo looks tough, defeating South Korea would more than make up for that. A 0-0 tie with Japan in the opening match on Saturday was encouraging but the big scalp has yet to be claimed.

“If we defeat South Korea, maybe the reaction will be similar to 2001 when China qualified for the World Cup for the first time,” Ma Dexing, of Titan Sports one of China’s leading football reporters, told Goal.com.

Ma explained why China struggles against the Taeguk Warriors.

“Chinese footballers never believe they can beat the Koreans, that is the problem. So they lack fighting spirit and confidence. China is also behind tactically and suffers from poor team work. I don’t expect anything this time either. China has not prepared well.”

Former Chinese captain Fan Zhiyi made over 100 appearances for his country but failed to finish on the winning side

"Koreaphobia is like a mountain on our shoulders,” the ex-English-based defender told local media. ”We tried many times to get rid of it but we are not afraid of them.”

Fan was part of the team that came close to defeating Korea at the 2000 Asian Cup before drawing 2-2 and it is still a memory that rankles.

"That match showed what we can do, but it is a pity not to win." Fan said. "If we just get that first win, the situation in both countries may change. It would be very good for our younger players. They might not feel so nervous when they face the Korean team again."

The opposite effect happens to the South Korean players.

South Korean goalkeeper Kim Yong-Dae said: “’Koreaphobia’ comes from China and so when we face the Chinese team, all our players are full of confidence. That might be the reason why we can always beat them."

Striker Lee Dong-Gook has faced China a number of times but is not sure why he never finishes on the winning side.

"I heard about it from my older teammates when I played for Korea. China is not an easy team to beat, especially in my period in the Olympic and international teams. But for some reason we could win most of these matches. It is strange."

Lee scored against Hong Kong on Sunday as the 2002 semifinalists won 5-0 and is hoping to cement his place in the 2010 World Cup by finding the net against China.

If the former Middlesbrough striker does so, he will also write another chapter in the growing Chinese saga of ‘Koreaphobia’.

John Duerden

Asia Editor

john.duerden@goal.com