Does the future of Chinese soccer lie in provincial 'super league'?

A new wave of criticism targeted at the national men's soccer team and its administrative body, the Chinese Football Association, is sweeping across the country. Social media platforms are full of condemnation of the soccer team's poor performance in recent international competitions. Some netizens have even called for disbanding the national men's soccer team, urging fans and sponsors to boycott the team and the CFA.

In such a situation, any other national sports body or players would have come forward to explain the situation or even threatened to sue those netizens for libel. But both the CFA and the Chinese players have remained silent, either because they are ashamed of their performances or because they know that any explanation or threat to sue the critics would further antagonize fans who have been repeatedly disappointed with the national soccer team for almost two decades.

China has made remarkable achievements in competitive sports since the launch of reform and opening-up in 1978. In the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, China won 15 gold medals. But by 2008 when Beijing hosted the Summer Olympics, it had become a major sports power. Yet its men's soccer team has consistently underperformed, showing little progress over the decades.