Dark days

Win or lose on National Day, the Under-23 squad's Asian Games campaign won't do much to dispel the gloom in Chinese soccer, with corruption scandals, the declining profile of the domestic league and the lack of youth participation casting a shadow over the sport.

Chen Xuyuan, the former president of the Chinese Football Association, has been prosecuted on suspicion of bribery, the Hubei Provincial People's Procuratorate announced on Tuesday.

After a disciplinary investigation by the provincial anti-corruption authorities, prosecutors revealed that Chen exploited his positions, including as chairman of Shanghai International Port Group and as CFA head, to seek illicit profits for others and accept "extremely large" bribes in return.

Li Tie, a former head coach of the Chinese men's national soccer team, was indicted on bribery charges in August.

The struggling financial status of top — and second-tier clubs in China, partially due to the pandemic, has also taken a heavy toll on the domestic leagues' appeal to fans, media and, in particular, high-level foreign players.

Players, from home and abroad, have claimed they are owed long-overdue wages from several CSL clubs, while some high-profile clubs, such as reigning CSL champion Wuhan Three Towns, are struggling to make ends meet.

Just eight months after winning the club's first top-flight title, the Three Towns' owners ceased investing in the team and are prepared to transfer ownership to any interested parties free of charge, according to a statement from the club.

Fan Zhiyi, a former Chinese national team captain who played at the 2002 World Cup finals, has called for long-term planning, especially in regard to youth training, to turn things around.

"There is no quick fix for the development of soccer. We've made so many mistakes over the years, from the grassroots level to the national program, all because we always want instant results," said Fan.

"It's time to keep working hard from the ground up without expecting any quick results, because we've hit rock-bottom."