The General Administration of Sport of China issued a long-awaited reform plan for soccer, especially the Chinese Football Association, on Monday that says the association will be separated from the administration soon.

As an administrative department, the CFA is affiliated to the sport administration and does not function as a civil organization, as is generally the case around the world. The reform is aimed at transforming the CFA from a government department to a civil organization.

According to the development history of sports, there must be a clear border between society and the government when it comes to the administration and operation of sports. My recent interactions with two Australian youth soccer teams that were in Beijing to attend an invitational tournament have left me more convinced of the significance and necessity of the ongoing soccer reform in China, a country with the largest number of soccer fans in the world.