IN BRIEF (Page 22)

China

China to play Netherlands in friendly in June

The Chinese men's soccer team will play against the Netherlands in a friendly international in Beijing on June 11, the Chinese Football Association confirmed on Monday. The Dutch team, runner-up at the 2010 World Cup, will be spearheaded by in-form strikers Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben in its China visit. China, which has been eliminated from the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, will use the match to shape up for the Asian Cup qualifiers. China is second in Group C of 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifying after losing to Saudi Arabia (2-1) and beating Iraq (1-0) in the first two rounds of play.