China is getting serious

[DangerousSausage]

In Germany, the Chinese under-20 team has applied to "join" a domestic league, the fourth-level Regionalliga Südwest, with which I sadly very well acquainted. It's turned into a bit of a hot topic.

The background is that, due to the DFB's inability to set up a proper pyramid structure, the league will have 19 teams next season, meaning that one team will not play on any given matchday. Enter China, whose under-20 team is spending the entire year at a training camp in Heidelberg. They want to "enter" the league as the 20th team. They won't be in the table and no points will be awarded for matches involving them. They're offering €15,000 per club to take part and the league has accepted. Only Waldhof Mannheim has publicly refused to play the Chinese, although clubs from other regions have dismissed the plans as a "circus".

Aside from the implicit insult to the fourth division, it's also questionable that the German FA has signalled its willingness to help out a propaganda instrument for a totalitarian regime if the price is right. It's depressing and I'm glad my team wants no part in this. And I can't help wondering if the Football League Trophy will be getting an exotic new entrant in the next yerar or two...

[Joe Jones]

Yeah I read that story. Absolutely ludicrous. It sets a very dangerous precedent (football wise) that a league is just some property that can be rented to the highest bidder. Wouldn't be surprised if Qatar started doing something similar. And yeah, with the integrity of the EFL Trophy already under major threat, it wouldn't be pie in the sky to see the Qatari Under-21s rock up in the competition to play Barnet and Sunderland Under-23s - and the kick in the teeth being that the lower-league sides get punished if they field a reserve team! Aaargh it angers me so much! Football is in such dire straits.

[DangerousSausage]

Too many people are happy to drop everything if someone offers enough money. That's the core of all this.

A couple of things add insult to injury. First, China's youth system is virtually non-existent. There isn't even a youth league. Instead of making this long-term investment, they're trying to piggyback off an existing league halfway across the world for fast results.

Secondly, the league could quite easily have had 20 teams anyway. Sixth(!)-bottom Pirmasens were relegated because Hessen Kassel went into administration just after the season ended, thereby avoiding the points penalty. They applied to be readmitted to the league on this basis but were rejected. But China competing is OK as long as there are enough €€€s in it.

It's such a daft idea I'm surprised the League didn't think of it first. There will be a lot of Tibet flags on show this season!

[Chris]

People was saying the Indian indoor football thing was getting 'serious' but it's lost all its mainstream appeal, at least I don't hear of it any more. It's a shame as I enjoyed the games I saw but Chinese football is a totally different story.

I doubt it will ever be able to gain a serious reputation, it doesn't have much going for it and the football is dire.

There's comments about the ladies game, yet this is beneath anything professional and that's why the few decent players filter out. Signing Ronaldo or whoever isn't going to change this and I doubt it will be taken seriously. It's just another money thing!

[ivansneck]

Well done SV Waldhof. I hope others follow. Anyone know where you can buy a Tibet flag from?

[Super_Danny_Allsopp]

For all the admiration going towards German football and their cheap tickets, this should serve as a stark warning. 

Not only do they stop a B teams. now we must compete with Chinese national sides. An utter embarrassment for the German football pyramid and those responsible should be ashamed. Whilst it has been met with criticism, nowhere near as much for my liking. 

[DangerousSausage]

In the meantime there have been some incredibly arrogant statements from the DFB saying that opponents don't understand the plans, that these are friendlies. If that's the case, why is the DFB trying to force us to play a friendly against a Chinese youth team? Surely the teams of the Regionalliga SW should decide themselves who they play against?

I'm proud that Waldhof are taking a stand against this. There are a few smaller teams that could do with the money, but there are also a number of clubs that are really not short of cash but are going along with it anyway.

[Chris]

Well I think it's good that fans have finally started not to just accept stupid changes or pledges which could effect the game.

They need to focus on their own system and work out ways of producing good talent for themselves, I honestly feel China are trying to short cut their way. It takes years, millions of pounds to establish a good system that produces natural talent. Yet they just think they can buy everything and gate crash, as country they really do need to wake up and realise the proper gains to having good football on show.

[DangerousSausage]

I think they want to take a short cut because the new president wants to use football as a propaganda instrument @Chris. Obviously installing a proper youth infrastructure is the best and most sustainable way, but that takes years and he'll probably be gone before there are any hard results. Hence the Chinese FA relying on the help of the German FA to get quick results. Shame on the DFB for colluding with this.

[liampie]

it does not sound like they are getting very serious to me, just throwing money and asking other nations to assist them. sounds lazy tbf!

[DangerousSausage]

There have been developments!

In the end the plans were scaled back somewhat, with the Chinese team to start playing their "friendlies" in the second half of the season. That started last weekend and so China played their first game against relegation probabilities Schott Mainz. After 25 minutes a group of Tibetian refugees unfurled Tibet flags. In response, the Chinese players left the pitch and refused to play on. After about half an hour the flags were put away again (reportedly of the protestors' own free will, although I have seen video of them being harangued by others) and the match continued.

The Chinese government has now waded in, condemning "every country and every individual who offers support to separatist, anti-Chinese and terrorist activities or activities for defending the independence of Tibet in any form or under any pretext". Who could have guessed that the whole thing would descend into a political row? 

The match? Schott Mainz won 3-0 in front of a crowd of 400.

[liampie]

 400? is that all?

[DangerousSausage]

10 hours ago, liampie said:

 400? is that all?

That's about half their normal crowd. It's basically a glorified friendly, but some will have gone along out of curiosity / to wave Tibet flags around.

Schott Mainz is one of the biggest sports clubs around but their football team traditionally has little support and is playing at this level for the first time. I'll be interested to see what happens once the Chinese team starts playing teams with an active fan scene such as Offenbach; I suspect two or three flags will be the least of their worries. To be honest I feel a bit sorry for their players who are caught up in this.

[ivansneck]

It seems as though the experiment is over. All games in 2017 called off as the clubs the Chinese were due to play committed themselves to freedpom of expression, i.e. they wouldn't ban peaceful Tibetan protests. A great victory for fan power!!

The bad news...

China are now looking to England for these games.

 

[DangerousSausage]

20 hours ago, ivansneck said:

It seems as though the experiment is over. All games in 2017 called off as the clubs the Chinese were due to play committed themselves to freedpom of expression, i.e. they wouldn't ban peaceful Tibetan protests. A great victory for fan power!!

The bad news...

China are now looking to England for these games.

 

Who could possibly have guessed that there would be problems?