Chinese fans celebrate the Chinese team's qualification for the 2002 World Cup Finals on Oct 7, 2001 in Beijing. It was the only time that China made it to the World Cup. (Photo/Xinhua)
Chinese people love football, though their national team seldom makes excellent performance. European matches drag the fans to screens, but more youngsters play balls on pitches or in blocks.
The beautiful game aroused the Chinese people's confidence again when the national team beat Qatar 2-0 in their last Group C match on March 29 and fought their way into the final round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers.
It's the first time for the Chinese team to reach such a high level since China's maiden appearance in the 2002 World Cup finals. Now the hope for another World Cup attendance is sparked in the country.
China was drawn into Group A of the final round with Iran, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Syria on Tuesday. The top two finishers will qualify directly while the third finisher will have to play its counterpart in Group B to get a chance to face the fourth finisher of the CONCACAF qualifiers for a spot at the global finals.
The head-to-head results show that South Korea and Iran boast overwhelming advantage over China which almost equal with Uzbekistan and Qatar and only lead over Syria.
Though it does look like a tough mission ahead of the Chinese team, which secured a spot in the last 12 in a dramatic way, the Chinese people's support to the national team has never been dwindling.
STRIVING FOR WORLD CUP FINALS
Li Shuyi, the executive deputy director at the inter-ministerial joint conference office specializing in the country's football development, believes there is still a long way to make virtual progress in the sport.
Calling for a world-class backup system in the Chinese national team operation, Li said, "We need to have not only professional players, but also professional supporting staff for the national team."
"We need to collect and analyze more match information and have our players' physiques guaranteed. So a professional supporting team is quite necessary to ensure the national team running well in the forthcoming competitions," he noted.
"A consensus between clubs and the Chinese Football Association (CFA) must be maintained in building the national team. Players are engaged in clubs training and league matches all year round. Playing for the national team is just a small part for professional players, so the clubs are encouraged to reward their players who are selected into the national team which can not provide them with the equivalent payments," added Li.
Chinese Super League (CSL) company chairman Ma Chengquan acknowledged that the five-year contract of the league broadcasting rights worth eight billion yuan (1.25 billion US dollars) helps the clubs establish confidence in the league development.
Obviously, the clubs will receive much more dividend in the next five years supported by the lucrative contract. Ma promises to set up a reasonable league agenda in support of the national team's training and preparation for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
"Of course, we need to keep the league running normally, and this won't set back the national team buildup," Ma said.
