Soccer looking for hero

BEIJING - China needs a soccer icon to lift the sport's image among youngsters, said Under-19 national team coach Jan Olde Riekerink.

This year has been a disaster for Chinese soccer with men's senior team, Olympic team, Under-19 team and women's team all failing to qualify for the Olympics and World Cups.

"That's is too bad, because for young children they see, like in basketball, Yao Ming is a star," said Riekerink, who worked at "star factory" Ajax, in two stints, for more than a decade. "I think that's the biggest challenge, because young children always need heroes."