Playing fair is the name of the game

The decidedly lackluster performance of the national football team in the World Cup qualifying matches has saddened the heart of many a football fan.

Much has been written about the problems, real or imagined, that have plagued the managers, coaches and players. None of those matters a whit to us football fans.

What has outraged us most was that our team not only played badly in many matches, but also played roughly, behaving, sometimes, like a bunch of ruffians. In the latest game played against Qatar, a Middle East country with a population no larger than a district in Beijing, the Chinese national team not only lost but, worse still, accrued four yellow cards and one red card for fouling.