China
Guo'an's stellar season stole spotlight
By Chen Xiangfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-19 09:17
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The nationwide fight against corruption in soccer and Beijing Guo'an's first domestic league title were the highlights of the game in China last year.
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 Above: Chinese national player Gao Lin during the Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on Jan 21. China won the match 2-1 but struggled to qualify for the Cup. Inset: Beijing Guo'an players celebrate after winning the Chinese Super League title on Oct 31. [China Daily]
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But it was a different story for the national team which continued to struggle on the international stage and made more and more fans disappointed.
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Guo'an's breakthrough came as a shot in the arm for the domestic league, which had been suffering from a decrease in spectators and TV viewers due to matching-fixing, 'black whistles' and other scandals over the past few years.
In the last round, about 60,000 fans packed into the Beijing Workers' Stadium and witnessed the hosts' historic achievement.
The victory also reminded people of the league's prime in the 1990s, with Guo'an one of the main contenders.
Guo'an sold out almost every home game and were unbeaten at the Workers' Stadium for two seasons (15 wins and nine draws at home in 1997 and 1998).
In 1994, Beijing beat visiting AC Milan 2-1 and repeated that feat a year later over England Premier League powerhouse Arsenal. During 18 international friendly matches with foreign clubs from 1994-99, the Beijing club posted a 17-win, 1-draw record.
Based on Beijing's achievements last year, and signs of revival in the domestic league, nationwide media and fans have started to pay more attention to the domestic league.
To add to a potential revival of the sport nationwide, China's embarrassing image as a third-class player at the world level has drawn unprecedented attention from the powers that be.
President Hu Jintao, vice-president Xi Jinping and state councilor Liu Yandong have all made strong statements about the need to revitalize the game.
The Chinese national team's misery continued last year and under-pressure head coach Gao Hongbo failed to inspire the side.
Out of World Cup qualifying, China were expected to at least show some progress in international friendlies and Asian Cup qualifiers.
However, they were dealt a huge blow in the opening match of the qualifiers, losing 1-0 to Syria.
They defeated minnows Lebanon and Vietnam and managed to qualify for the Asian Cup finals; but it was hardly a convincing display.
In the friendlies, they were routed by Saudi Arabia 4-1 and settled for 0-0 and 1-1 draws with the Malaysia Olympic team and Singapore, respectively.
The China Under-20 team's attempts to save the fans blushes at last month's East Asian Games, where Japan and South Korea only sent second-string teams, also came to nought.
China were humiliated 3-0 by South Korea, edged Hong Kong 1-0 and failed to make it to the final.
Hong Kong picked up a historic title by beating Japan in a penalty shootout.
China's latest FIFA world ranking is 93rd and an embarrassing 13th in Asia.
Meanwhile, state media, like CCTV, produced a series of in-depth programs to support an anti-gambling blitz. That scrutiny led to a crackdown in which more than 100 players, coaches, referees, club officials and industry insiders were questioned and several senior officials detained.
China's fight against corruption in soccer dates back to 2001 when the infamous "black whistles" investigation took place and Gong Jianping, an international referee, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for accepting bribes.
However, that investigation concluded without any concrete results and three referees whose names were on the "black whistle" list even returned to officiate in professional matches.
"It seems every time China vows to clean up its football pitches, the effort ends up achieving nothing. Corrupt practises have existed in the soccer industry for a long time and are hard to uproot. But they have to be torn up if China wants to realize its dream of revitalizing the sport," said a CCTV commentator.
The current gambling investigation is a good beginning to what remains a long-term task.
