Quotable

"I have experienced the World Cup and the excitement of being able to compete for the trophy. That kind of feeling is appealing to me and, I believe, to all soccer players in the world. But now we can only watch it as spectators, and we have nothing to do with the event, which is very sad."

Fan Zhiyi, former national soccer team captain, talking about China's disappointing performances in the sport. Fan was the centerback for the nation's only appearance at the 2002 World Cup.