China’s Football Fiasco: National Team’s Crushing Defeat Sparks Ridicule of ‘Football Career Development’ Project
Chinese National Football Team’s Crushing Defeat Sparks Outrage and Criticism
Beijing time: 2024-09-08 04:56
The Chinese national football team’s recent 0-7 loss to Japan has sparked widespread criticism and ridicule on the mainland Internet. The defeat has also brought attention to a 2021 National Social Science Fund Major Project, “Research on the Development Strategy and Countermeasures of Chinese Football Industry,” which has been mocked by netizens as “a major scientific research achievement of 7-0.”
According to mainland media reports, the project was shortlisted as a “Major Project of the National Social Science Fund in 2021” by China’s National Office of Philosophy and Social Sciences in August 2021. The project was one of 335 tender topics and research directions, with funding intensity ranging from RMB 600,000 to 800,000 per project.
In December 2023, the official website of the China Association of Scientific and Technological Journals of Higher Education Institutions published a notice on the meeting of the Sports Journal Professional Committee and the seminar on the results of the National Social Science Fund Major Project “Study on the Development Strategy and Countermeasures of Chinese Football.” The seminar was held in Zibo, Shandong, and covered topics such as the modernization strategy of China’s football governance system, the training strategy of Chinese football talents, and the national team construction and development strategy.
Netizens have responded to the team’s defeat with sarcasm, saying, “A major scientific research result of 7 to 0, applause,” “Archaic talk,” “Frugal results,” and “This money is better spent on training a group of young players.”
The Chinese men’s football team’s 0:7 loss to the Japanese team in the 2026 Mexico City World Cup Asian qualifiers on September 5 has sparked outrage among fans. Many have expressed frustration and disappointment, saying, “So many years have passed, and they said they would reform, but in the end the national football team is still so bad.” “I thought it would be miserable, but I didn’t expect it to be this miserable. It’s better to just admit defeat.” “Let’s just kill the national football team. There is no meaning in its existence.”
Corruption is a significant issue in the Chinese football world. Since the former head coach of the Chinese men’s football team, Li Tie, was investigated in 2022, 14 senior officials of the Chinese Football Association have been dismissed. This year, these dismissed senior officials have been sentenced intensively.