news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

author: zhang feng

columnist

visiting scholar at columbia university

the chinese men's football team lost to japan last night with a huge score of 0:7, which made many fans feel sad. even worse than the result was the process of the game. the chinese team only had one shot in the whole game, and there was no vitality or energy. if you look at the goal highlights, you will find that the chinese players are a bit pitiful. they were stunned and watched the ball enter their own goal again and again.

it is normal for people to be dissatisfied. some fans called for the team to be disbanded on the spot, and such calls are understandable. fans have the right to express their opinions and criticize their home team. this has always been part of football culture. when the team performs well, people will be moved to tears and offer their applause.

many media outlets have criticized the national team, which is normal. but the media should do more than just vent the fans' anger, and show some professionalism when "criticizing". some reporters asked the head coach to resign on social media after the game, which is understandable, but it is not professional enough: you know, this poor head coach has not been in office for long. in the past few years, the chinese team has changed several coaches, and the level has been getting worse and worse. every head coach is responsible, but reality has proved that changing the head coach is basically ineffective for the chinese team.

there is also an even more terrifying voice. some media even called for: "chinese men's football team! please give them severe punishment" - you read that right, this is the original title of the media. whether the use of exclamation marks is justified or not is not the point. the call for "severe punishment" means how to punish the players, detention? or as netizens joked, let the players go to dig coal?

this kind of voice demanding punishment is of no help in solving the current problems of chinese football. in fact, several members of the chinese football association have been imprisoned for corruption, and the former head coach li tie is also in prison. it can be said that the national team members are no strangers to the "strict requirements" and "spirit of winning glory for the country." there have been many ideological work meetings, and the "requirements" and "instructions" have long been conveyed to the players, but there has been no effect.

illegal acts must be punished, but we should be more lenient with the game itself.

"severe punishment" brings a sense of punishment and revenge, but it does not help improve the level of the chinese team. on the contrary, it may be harmful. it is the stupidest suggestion to call on administrative and judicial organs to intervene in football unnecessarily. such voices have increased recently, which may be a manifestation of the deterioration of the chinese football environment.

in the past decade, chinese football has both regressed and improved. the regression is the performance of the national team. even if "naturalized players" are introduced, it is useless. the improvement is the recovery of the league in various cities. in chengdu, it is difficult to get a ticket for a football match. if the league can strictly abide by the rules and market laws, develop slowly, players can make money, and more parents are willing to let their children play football, chinese football will eventually recover.

however, there seems to be a kind of "internal destructiveness" in the field of chinese football. too eager for quick success and instant benefits, even the league rules are constantly changing. these "administrative interventions" are more destructive than constructive, and make chinese football constantly return to the starting point and start all over again. in the end, people found that the "bottom line" of chinese football is constantly decreasing.

after all, football is a system. it is the result of the integration of sports, education and economy. its own rules and laws cannot be improved by emphasizing the spirit of struggle and discipline.

a developed and law-abiding economic environment and the continued growth of the "football population" are the underlying logic behind the rise of chinese football.

as for a game itself, anyone who has had sports experience knows that moderate "tension" is conducive to athletes to perform at their best, while excessive tension will lead to deformation of movements. the chinese players in this game gave people a feeling of being at a loss, and they even felt that it was a mistake to even stand there.

although the chinese team is not as strong as the japanese team, they will not lose seven goals. losing three or four goals is normal. there were indeed some "wrong" things last night, but how to understand this "wrong" is a problem. i think one of the key points is that the players are too nervous and not relaxed enough. they know that their skills are not as good as those of the japanese players, and they are afraid of mistakes and afraid of taking responsibility. this fear further leads to restraint, timidity and more mistakes.

obviously, the call for "severe punishment" will not bring these, but will only bring the opposite. after watching yesterday's game, i kept thinking of a scene in a middle school in a certain place during the high temperature a few days ago. a boy fell to the ground due to heat stroke, and no classmates "lent a hand" to help him. we can replace the venue of this school with a football field and replace the children with the chinese men's national football team - the scene will not be too inconsistent.

although it is a luxury, we must admit that"quality of will" in a football match is never about the brute force of "breaking the opponent's calf", but about the art of responsibility, trust and freedom: only when a person dares to take responsibility can he do his best; only when he can trust his teammates can he work as a team and pass the ball well; and a "free soul" can bring real creativity, which is the most moving thing on the field.

the score of 0:7 is the real bottom. if you can't get up, just lie down and rest for a while, relax, and then start from the bottom.

i hope they can really relax, play football with a smile, and feel the joy of the sport itself.

this article is an original article specially commissioned by the phoenix news commentary department and only represents the author's views.

editor｜crazy horse