Top News

Clean up our own football yard first

By Yang Xinwei (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-27 09:50

A pitch intruder (front) kicks the referee Wang Zhe (R) during the Chinese Super League match between Qingdao and Shanghai at Tiantai Stadium in Qingdao, July 25, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's hopes of hosting the World Cup suffered two heavy blows this month.

The fans' over-enthusiasm during the World Cup in South Africa and China's anti-corruption sweep, which sent former soccer boss Nan Yong to jail for taking bribes, convinced the nation's soccer governing body, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) that China should bid for the World Cup in 2026.

Wei Di, the current boss of the CFA, believes the bidding process in itself will have a positive effect and will greatly help the development of the sport here.

Two shameful incidents over the past week should have awakened Wei though. Maybe he needs to put his own house in order before making the bid.

First, Nanjing Youyou lost 10-0 to FC Guangzhou, and the former team brought only 12 players to the away match in the second division. Later, it was disclosed the club owed the players' salaries from as far back as 2007, thus leading to the walkout of many of the team's starters. After a week, the players were still holding the IOUs. They came back but the team still lost 1-0 at home.

On Sunday, in a Chinese Super League match, two red cards in three minutes caused chaos in a match between Qingdao and visiting Shanghai.

A man invaded the pitch and tried to kick referee Wang Zhe after two players from Qingdao were sent off in the second half. The man was taken away by three security officers.

Though Qingdao officials claimed the man was just an emotional fan, later reports said the interloper was an interpreter for the Korean players on the team.

The Qingdao bench argues with the referee Wang Zhe (L) as the team receives a red card after a foul on a Shanghai player during their Chinese Super League match at Tiantai Stadium in Qingdao, July 25, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Another weird scene happened in the tunnel when Stjepan Jukic, a forward for Qingdao who was sent off in the 70th minute for a poor tackle, hugged the intruder, who was being taken away by security guards.

The incident was almost a carbon copy of the 2008 European Championship qualification match between Denmark and Sweden. Sweden was leading the game 3-0. Denmark then caught up in the second half and tied it at 3-3, but a Danish player ended up punching a Swedish opponent and got a red card. If that wasn't entertaining enough, a Danish fan then ran on to the pitch and attacked the referee. The game was called off with only a few minutes remaining.

Sweden was awarded the match, 3-0, and Denmark was forced to play its next two qualifying matches at least 250km away from Copenhagen.

It is only right that the CFA deals out heavy punishments to Qingdao. Stripping it of home games could be the best place to start.

However, the referee-kicking incident is a blight on China's soccer, especially as a backdrop to China's anti-corruption sweep.

That particular referee has been at the center of controversy before - in 2007, when a fight broke out in a Chinese Super League final-round match between Zhejiang and Liaoning, and on May 26 of this year when he refused to stop play despite a linesman calling for an offside in a match between Nanchang and Dalian.

Before Golden Whistle award winner Lu Jun, once deemed the most fair referee in China, was arrested, I had believed that not all Chinese referees were corrupt. But now I believe incompetence is just as bad as corruption.

The author is China Daily's chief sports commentator, who has been following China's sports over the past 26 years. He can be reached at yangxinwei@chinadaily.com.cn.