Long road ahead for China youngsters
Print Edition
China is banking its footballing future on youth development and the world’s most populous nation has plenty to do if its performance at the AFC Under-23 Championship over the last week is anything to go by.
Coached by Massimiliano Maddaloni and with a handful of full internationals in the squad, China slumped out of the tournament before the knockout stages after a 1-2 loss to Qatar in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, on Monday.
It means another continental youth competition will pass without a Chinese team making a significant impact, a further sign the road to the upper reaches of Asian football, let alone the global game, remains long and difficult.
Italian Maddaloni’s irritation was clear after seeing his side, reduced to 10 men for much of the game, fail to reach the quarterfinals for the first time.
“I do not want to discuss any details about this match,” he said after the defeat. “We think that all the players tried their best and that they tried to win this match. I am very proud to be their coach.”
In a must-win game, Yao Junsheng gave China an early lead only for captain He Chao’s sending off to turn the tide in Qatar’s favor, with Almoez Ali scoring twice to condemn the Chinese to third place in their group behind the Qataris and Uzbekistan.
National team boss Marcello Lippi had talked up the prospects of China’s young players going into the tournament after including six of Maddaloni’s side in the squad he took to the East Asian Championship in Japan last month.
And while there were positives to be taken from the latest failure, notably the growing talent of winger Wei Shihao and the tactical understanding Maddaloni has instilled in his team, China still lags behind Asia’s best when it comes to youth development.
Development programs are being initiated across the country and huge sums are being poured into hiring high-profile coaches, who preach patience at every opportunity. In an attempt to further encourage development ahead of the 2020 Olympics, the Chinese Football Association has strengthened Chinese Super League regulations to force clubs to field as many players under the age of 23 as they do to foreigners.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
