In 2004, FIFA recognised China as the birthplace of football; Zibo, in Shandong province in fact, where a sport named Cuju has been played since the 3rd century BCE; one with a ball and hands not permitted. Nowadays, there is a museum located in Linzi, where a commemorative FIFA plaque recognises the city as the site where football began.
Professionalism
Nevertheless, until 1994, football in China was only played at an amateur level, with clubs owned by local sports committees or the army (before 1987), or at a semiprofessional level (1987-1993).
In 2004, the Chinese Super League was born. Initially involved in corruption scandals that kept the fans away, government intervention and higher control by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) put an end to this problem and was rewarded with growth in average attendance each season. In 2010, the average attendance per match was 17,500 people; by June of this 2017 season, the average reached 23,700 per game, a figure that reveals the increasing interest of Chinese football fans in their local product.
The economic potential of the country also affects the football clubs; indeed, ten of the 20 players receiving the highest salaries in the world belong to the Chinese Super League, but all of them are foreigners. The Chinese League accepts only five non-native players per team, and only three can be on the field during a game. From these five players, four can be non-Asian and one can be Asian. This is a rule intended to help develop national players and to give them more opportunity to play. Another rule adopted this year was that teams in the starting line ups must have two Chinese players under 23 years of age.
The Plan
It is well known that president Xi Jinping is a big football fan. His plan is to improve China’s ability in order to make her a serious competitor for the 2050 World Cup, while there are also rumors about her planning to become a candidate host for the 2026 or 2030 WC.
Part of the planning is to have 0.5 to 0.7 soccer fields per 10,000 people. In 2016, China’s Ministry of Education created the “School Football Leading Group”, with the idea of promoting football among 20,000 primary, middle and high schools. It was also reported last year that the Guangzhou Sports University was opening a Football Academy, with programs for coaches and referees, becoming the first Football College in China.
Recently, a particular taxation scheme was approved by the CFA, under which a club that pays for the transfer of a foreign player also has to pay the same amount to the CFA youth development program.
The Dream
As we can interpret, China is investing not only at professional levels, but also among the youth, to accomplish the dream of being a worldwide football leader within the next three decades. Having the government and president Xi Jinping’s support makes Chinese people believe in their football. They have a history to follow, a healthy league in which to compete and a good plan to develop. 2050 is the date highlighted on the calendar.
