Chinese soccer culture is an own goal

China is home to nearly one in fifth of all the world’s people. The country has no shortage of sporting talent — and yet it has not qualified for a men’s world cup for more than 20 years. Tianlang, 13, from the British School of Brussels, argues that the nation’s sporting culture is holding it back.

With a staggering population of 1.4 billion people, it’s no surprise that the world’s manufacturing powerhouse — The People’s Republic of China — has made sporting achievements on a global scale, including over 800 prestigious Olympic medals.¹

However, (men’s) football is a very different case. They, well, simply suck at it — they are currently 90th in the FIFAThe Federation Internationale de Football Association is the world’s highest governing body of association football. world rankings, have recently suffered a humiliating 7-0 defeat to arch enemies Japan, and haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 2002. So, what really is the case with Chinese (men’s) football?

On 10 September 2024, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) unleashed a huge lifetime ban on 38 players and five officials for match-fixingWhen sports players dishonestly decide on the result of a game before it is played, often because they have taken a bribe. , gambling, and briberyWhen people give gifts or money in order to influence the actions of an official, and encourage them to act in a way that is unethical. . One hundred and twenty matches and 41 clubs were involved!² It is no surprise that fans have blamed this for the underperformances of the national team.

Reading this may sound shocking to many people, but for most Chinese football fans, this is just old news. CorruptionWhen someone abuses their power for personal gain. It often involves bribery. in Chinese football has had a long history lasting several decades. This includes the infamous 2003 to 2009 match-fixing scandals, in which three vice CFA presidents, one FIFA World Cup referee and four national team players were sentenced to up to six years in jail.³ Shocking, isn’t it?

Football is by all means a very popular sport in China. However, once many children turn 12, they (and especially their parents) consider it much more important to focus on their studies. Rather than say, attending an after school sports club, students are often forced to spend gruelling hours on homework and extra classes. This may be a result of the significantly competitive educational system, but the parents are also among the ones to blame.

As a result, the development of most elite young athletes in China are in the hands of the government. They are identified, recruited, “plucked out” of their ordinary lives and sent to sports schools dotted around the country. This system excels for individual sports but is quite the opposite for team sports. No wonder I can’t find my men’s basketball team either…

So, will it ever change? Despite many recent setbacks and lots of other underlying issues, there might still be hope for China. In 2015, the Chinese government released a plan with an estimated investmentWhen you put money into a project or idea in the hope it will be successful in the future. of $4.1bn (£3.3bn). Key targets included building 20,000 football schools, 70,000 more football pitches, and getting 50 million children and adults to play the sport.⁴

The project hasn’t shown much success yet; however, we know that, with the increasing popularity and influence of the sport, football will always be important to China.

However, as a Chinese teenager and a football fan myself, I personally believe that it all boils down to the culture — whether it’s the players, officials, coaches, government, or the younger generation and their parents, the way everyone treats the sport must change.

So, can Chinese football make a comeback?

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Keywords

Fifa – The Federation Internationale de Football Association is the world’s highest governing body of association football.

Match-fixing – When sports players dishonestly decide on the result of a game before it is played, often because they have taken a bribe.

Bribery – When people give gifts or money in order to influence the actions of an official, and encourage them to act in a way that is unethical.

Corruption – When someone abuses their power for personal gain. It often involves bribery.

Investment – When you put money into a project or idea in the hope it will be successful in the future.