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Chinese soccer star signs with S. Korean club

CHINESE national soccer player Li Weifeng signed with a top South Korean club and will play against his former club Shanghai Shenhua in the first round of the Asian Champions League, a newspaper in Shenzhen reported.

Cha Bum-kun, head coach of Suwon Samsung Blue Wings FC, decided to recruit the defender when the club set a goal of winning the AFC Champions League this year, Daily Sunshine reported.

"For one reason, I wanted to pay back my teacher (Cha), and playing soccer in a relatively simple environment without interference, suspicion and abuse is another wish," Li said after signing with Suwon yesterday.

"I felt so excited when I heard my first AFC Champions League match in Suwon would be against Shenhua in Shanghai I will keep training to reach my peak and bring my best back to the Shanghai fans. They can see I am still the best."

Li played in Shanghai for Shenhua from 2006 to 2008.

Cha was Li's first head coach at the professional level with Shenzhen Ping'an in 1998. Li was just 20 years old and had returned from five years of training in Brazil at the time.

Suwon won the 2008 K-league title on December 7 after defeating Seoul FC 2-1. Jin Qingyi, a technical coach at Suwon, negotiated Li's move to Suwon.

Li was a central figure in the scandal that saw Wuhan Guanggu drop out of the Chinese Super League on October 7. The club pulled out of the league to protest an eight-match ban and 8,000 yuan fine against Li, who was disciplined for a harsh foul.

The China Football Association responded by canceling Wuhan's membership in the association and fined it 300,000 yuan (US$44,118).

Li went to train in Shenzhen afterwards.

Li is considered one of China's best defenders.



 

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