British media finally found China's weakness, mocking the national football team's poor performance: despite strong technology, they can't even reach the World Cup finals!
Recently, The Economist published a lengthy commentary titled “Why Is Chinese Football So Bad?” It noted that the World Cup has expanded to 48 teams, and Asia’s qualification spots have increased to 8.5—something many call “the easiest World Cup ever.” Yet China still failed to seize the opportunity.
The author’s conclusion is straightforward: the problem isn’t the threshold; it lies within Chinese football itself.
This article sparked considerable discussion on Chinese social media. Many fans were left silent after reading it—not because of any new insight, but precisely because what the British media said is something Chinese football fans have been voicing for two decades… and yet nothing has changed.
The article gives special attention to a set of statistics: the number of young people in China who actually play football regularly is far lower than in any football powerhouse. China has only 2,740 registered professional players. Germany has 35,000. When calculated per million people, China has fewer than 800 registered players, while Germany approaches 8,000—a tenfold difference.
It’s like two countries mining for resources. Germany is digging the entire mountain; China is scraping just one shovel of soil. Football is a pyramid sport—the height of the peak depends not on how sharp the tip is, but on how broad the base is. China’s base is not even competitive in Asia.
The article dedicates significant space to one issue: parents in China don’t let their children play football.
This point aligns with analyses from other foreign media outlets. A study by the University of Alicante in Spain revealed a fundamental difference in how Chinese parents perceive the relationship between sports and academics compared to Western countries. Academic achievement is mandatory, while sports are optional.
The Economist’s author breaks down this logic further. He argues it’s not about Chinese parents failing to “support” football—it’s a matter of family choice.
What does playing football mean? It means coming home from school not to tutoring classes, but to the pitch. It means weekends aren’t spent doing homework, but training. And if pursuing a professional career, one must accept a harsh reality: the dropout rate is extremely high.
The article cites a statistic: the probability of a Chinese youth player making it to the Chinese Super League is less than 0.5%, while in Europe it’s 5%. One Shanghai youth player’s 10-year investment may reach 800,000 RMB, but the chance of becoming a star is less than one in a thousand.
What does this mean? If a family has two children—one aiming for the college entrance exam, the other for football—the former has over a 50% chance of getting into an undergraduate program. The latter has less than a 0.5% chance of becoming a professional player. For the vast majority of families, the answer to this choice is obvious.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866850449165323/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.