The Great Wall

China has set a target of not just hosting the World Cup; but winning it; preferably sometime before 2050. It is a grand & ambitious plan spearheaded by the big football fan; President Xi Jinping himself. On first look; it looks a logical target; the biggest country in the world going after the biggest sport; sounds legit.

But years after that grand plan; it seems China is nowhere near to reaching its completion. The national team; once deemed as almost ready to challenge the powerhouses of South Korea & Japan; have stagnated; now ranked at around No. 77 in the world; far below what they should be capable of and below even smaller countries such as Cape Verde. The manager Li Tie; formerly the Everton defensive midfielder; has recently left the post after some disappointing results that saw them failure to qualify for World Cup Qatar 2022; which must have been a seismic shock to the China system.

Maybe the way they have gone about it hasn't been the best. They tried to overload their local league and take it to greatness by bringing in huge foreign stars at inflated salaries. Oscar was the symbol of all they were doing at that time: a proven Chelsea & Brazil star at the peak of his powers; moving to the Chinese game. Surely they had to be doing something right? Hulk was also there; another Brazilian international. Soon; stars such as Yannick Carrasco & Marouane Fellaini were flocking there; lured no doubt by the huge salaries on offer.

But by bringing in so many stars; did they give enough space to the local players? Also; were they over-committing on the financial front? As China's economy started to hit hurdles; this affected some of the clubs as well; such as Guangzhou Evergrande; and overall this hurt the success and reputation of the league. Overall; it seems the movement for China football has not actually dealt with the more systemic and foundational aspects of the game; thus hurting its progress.