The Chinese newspaper, Soccer News, put together an interesting story in the leadup to the Chinese Super League (CSL), the domestic soccer league, season next weekend about how much season tickets cost for each of the 16 teams in the CSL. The chart looks like this (all prices in RMB, teams listed based on their finish last season):
Shandong Luneng
Price: 150, 480, 580, 980, 1380, 2600, 3900
same as last year
Shanghai Shenhua
Price: 240, 600, 960, 1320, 1800, 3360
same as last year
Beijing Guoan
Price: 260, 1500 (VIP)
same as last year
Tianjin Teda
Price (per game): 40, 60, 80, 120, 180
no season ticket available, but individual game ticket prices are same as last year
Shaanxi Baorong
Price (last year): 100, 140, 210, 280, 350, 3500
expecting to increase prices by 10%
Changchun Yatai
Price: 120-150
price lowered from last year's 300-580
GuangYao BaiyunShan
Price: 298, 398
same as last year
Qingdao Zhongneng
Price: 100, 300, 500
price lower than last year
Hangzhou LvCheng
Price: 220, 320, 600, 1000
last year they were called Zhejiang LvCheng, but this year's ticket prices remain the same
Henan Jianye
Price: 202
price lower than last year
Changsha Jinde
Price: 80 (!!!)
price lower than last year
Shenzhen
Price: 270-280
price lower than last year
Chengdu Sheffield United
Price: 150, 200, 350, 500
same as last year
Dalian Shide
Price (last season): 200, 300, 450, 600, 1000, 1500
Prices have yet to be announced for 2009, but will be cheaper than last year
And the two promoted clubs:
Jiangsu
Price: 100-200
price raised since last year
Chongqing Lifan
Price: no season ticket last year, per game was 10
price will be raised this season
So out of the 16 clubs, only the two promoted teams and Shaanxi, which didn't play all their games in Xian last year and had some of the lowest prices in the league. It will be interesting to see how attendance figures work out this season, but in Beijing, Guoan fans are elated about the squads return to Worker's Stadium, leading to sales of around 10,000 season tickets.
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
2009/02/16
Too Good to be True?
"Stop the presses!" I hear myself shouting, before realizing this is a blog and there are no presses involved, but that's the kind of story this is to me. The idea that Nike would dedicate US$200 million to the Chinese Super League (CSL), the Chinese domestic soccer league, over a period of 10 years is just shocking.
Just a few years ago, the league went from large companies sponsoring it (and its tournaments) like Siemens, Pepsi, and Midea to no sponsor, then had a British internet phone company sponsor them and pull out shortly into the season. Kingway, the Shenzhen based brewery, was league sponsor in 2007 a decent step up, but then in 2008, they were replaced by small Chinese wine brand Jinliufu. Siemes, iPhox (the British internet company), and Kingway all signed multi-year deals with the league and ultimately pulled out of them after a season (or less).
The nitty-gritty of the Nike deal looks like this:
Just a few years ago, the league went from large companies sponsoring it (and its tournaments) like Siemens, Pepsi, and Midea to no sponsor, then had a British internet phone company sponsor them and pull out shortly into the season. Kingway, the Shenzhen based brewery, was league sponsor in 2007 a decent step up, but then in 2008, they were replaced by small Chinese wine brand Jinliufu. Siemes, iPhox (the British internet company), and Kingway all signed multi-year deals with the league and ultimately pulled out of them after a season (or less).
The nitty-gritty of the Nike deal looks like this:
- 2009: US$15 million spread between 12 clubs
- 15% annual increase of that US$15 million
- eventual sponsorship of all 16 clubs
So what does this all mean? For one, finally some major muscle is coming in and serving as China soccer's white knight. CCTV recently agreed to broadcast CSL games, after having suspended their broadcast last season. The league still has the stink of corruption, on-pitch battles, and walk-offs, but one of the league's biggest concerns over the past 5 years, sponsorship, will no longer be an issue. In the long run, hopefully this will take the Chinese league from general oblivion into one of Asia's premier leagues. While the national team is probably beyond saving at this point, a good run of form by one of the Chinese teams in the newly expanded Asian Champions League would help the league's reputation.
Currently, only 2 of the 16 teams (last year's winner and runner up Shandong and Shanghai, respectively) wear Nike. While it would be expected Nike would want to very quickly re-establish its ties with Beijing Guoan, the capital club will continue wearing Adidas in 2009.
Nike's signing on is a major investment in Chinese soccer, hopefully this will mark a turning point for all of Chinese soccer, though it should guarantee that the domestic league will be improved. The league begins next month, the past two seasons have gone down to the final match, hopefully the same drama (without the negativity) will be seen this year (and most of all, hopefully Beijing will finally be champions!).
2009/02/04
Why the World Cup Not Coming to China is a Good Thing?
The deadline for bidding on the World Cups in both 2018 and 2022 came and went on Monday and to many people's surprise, China wasn't one of the countries that bid. China was widely expected as one of the bidders this time around and would have been an immediate front runner.
So why didn't they bid? While we here were major backers of the concept of a China bid, we've since reconsidered the idea and decided not bidding was best. Why? Well, let's look at some of the reasons that have been put forth:
1. Chinese Soccer Development
There is a feeling among the "highly intelligent" people at the Chinese Football Association (CFA) that hosting the World Cup when the team is still as bad as it is is not a good thing. It's a matter of face and national pride, which is why this belief is shared by the fans. Much like with the Olympics and China's record 51 gold medal haul, fans want the World Cup at a time when the national team will make the country proud. This is a major reason why on a sina.com poll, 89% support the CFA's decision. The problem is that 1. China can always host the World Cup again, and 2. having the Cup here could be a major boon to soccer's growth and development in China.
2. the Olympics
No, not Beijing 2008, but Harbin 2018 or 2022. If all goes well with this month's Winter Universaide in Harbin, the city has high hopes to seriously bid for the Winter Olympics (unlike their 2010 bid). It seems the national sports authorities are more focused on this (and building China's winter sports power) instead of focusing solely on one sport, soccer. Also, development of a winter sports program will be far easier than making the national soccer team good. What's the problem with this? London in the UK and Sochi in Russia are already hosting the 2012 and 2014 Olympics, but both bidding for 2018/2022, while Tokyo and Chicago are in the running for 2016 and both Japan and the US are bidding as well. Some even think that hosting the Olympics could be an advantage to sealing a World Cup bid.
3. Money
Yes, we're in the midst of a global financial crisis and China has been hit hard. With the Olympics debt yet to be paid, adding a World Cup burden on top of that could be a bit much for the country to handle.
4. Venues
This is the final one and, to me, the most important of the 4. China simply isn't prepared to host. China only has 3 soccer specific stadiums (in Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chengdu), but all of them have a capacity of less than 40,000, the minimum to be used in the World Cup. In China, there are beautiful new stadiums in Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, and Guangzhou and all would likely host games, however all (and an older one in Shanghai) are surrounded by running tracks. In fact, I'd venture to guess that almost every stadium in China over 40,000 is a multi-use stadium with a running track, keeping the fans far away from the field. Therefore, either a lot of new stadiums (which would undoubtedly go unused or make older ones redundant) would need to be built or the fan experience would be severely lacking.
It would be great for China to host the World Cup, especially because it may be the only way China gets into a World Cup in the next 10 years, and while soccer needs to be developed here, the CFA made the right decision in not choosing to bid for the 2018/2022 World Cup.
So why didn't they bid? While we here were major backers of the concept of a China bid, we've since reconsidered the idea and decided not bidding was best. Why? Well, let's look at some of the reasons that have been put forth:
1. Chinese Soccer Development
There is a feeling among the "highly intelligent" people at the Chinese Football Association (CFA) that hosting the World Cup when the team is still as bad as it is is not a good thing. It's a matter of face and national pride, which is why this belief is shared by the fans. Much like with the Olympics and China's record 51 gold medal haul, fans want the World Cup at a time when the national team will make the country proud. This is a major reason why on a sina.com poll, 89% support the CFA's decision. The problem is that 1. China can always host the World Cup again, and 2. having the Cup here could be a major boon to soccer's growth and development in China.
2. the Olympics
No, not Beijing 2008, but Harbin 2018 or 2022. If all goes well with this month's Winter Universaide in Harbin, the city has high hopes to seriously bid for the Winter Olympics (unlike their 2010 bid). It seems the national sports authorities are more focused on this (and building China's winter sports power) instead of focusing solely on one sport, soccer. Also, development of a winter sports program will be far easier than making the national soccer team good. What's the problem with this? London in the UK and Sochi in Russia are already hosting the 2012 and 2014 Olympics, but both bidding for 2018/2022, while Tokyo and Chicago are in the running for 2016 and both Japan and the US are bidding as well. Some even think that hosting the Olympics could be an advantage to sealing a World Cup bid.
3. Money
Yes, we're in the midst of a global financial crisis and China has been hit hard. With the Olympics debt yet to be paid, adding a World Cup burden on top of that could be a bit much for the country to handle.
4. Venues
This is the final one and, to me, the most important of the 4. China simply isn't prepared to host. China only has 3 soccer specific stadiums (in Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chengdu), but all of them have a capacity of less than 40,000, the minimum to be used in the World Cup. In China, there are beautiful new stadiums in Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, and Guangzhou and all would likely host games, however all (and an older one in Shanghai) are surrounded by running tracks. In fact, I'd venture to guess that almost every stadium in China over 40,000 is a multi-use stadium with a running track, keeping the fans far away from the field. Therefore, either a lot of new stadiums (which would undoubtedly go unused or make older ones redundant) would need to be built or the fan experience would be severely lacking.
It would be great for China to host the World Cup, especially because it may be the only way China gets into a World Cup in the next 10 years, and while soccer needs to be developed here, the CFA made the right decision in not choosing to bid for the 2018/2022 World Cup.
2009/01/23
$3 Million Down the Toilet
The Beijing city government recently declared it will be investing US$3 million in the city's soccer team, Beijing Guoan, to improve the quality of the capital's soccer squad. The money will be focused on funding youth development programs, but will also be spent on offsetting costs of the Manchester United visit this July. The government also declared that this isn't just a one time investment but a longterm cooperative program between the city and the team.
Will it work? In China, money has an "odd" way of going to the wrong things even when in the hands of government, but when in the hands of a private entity, corrupt usages of it wouldn't be surprising. As it is an investment in youth programs, it will be much harder for the average person to see if the money is being put to good use.
Since the team announced that they won't be playing in the Bird's Nest, there is still a question of where the team will play, returning to its traditional home at Worker's Stadium or remain in Fengtai. While the Bird's Nest would have required attendance figures above and beyond what the team usually got, the draw of the stadium would have been great (at least early on) and helped to promote the team.
The team's quality has been improving the past few seasons, will this investment in the future be enough to put the team over the top and deliver a first championship to Beijing or will it just get caught up in red tape and mishandled?
Will it work? In China, money has an "odd" way of going to the wrong things even when in the hands of government, but when in the hands of a private entity, corrupt usages of it wouldn't be surprising. As it is an investment in youth programs, it will be much harder for the average person to see if the money is being put to good use.
Since the team announced that they won't be playing in the Bird's Nest, there is still a question of where the team will play, returning to its traditional home at Worker's Stadium or remain in Fengtai. While the Bird's Nest would have required attendance figures above and beyond what the team usually got, the draw of the stadium would have been great (at least early on) and helped to promote the team.
The team's quality has been improving the past few seasons, will this investment in the future be enough to put the team over the top and deliver a first championship to Beijing or will it just get caught up in red tape and mishandled?
2008/12/01
Chinese Athletes Behaving Badly
Okay, granted its not Plaxico Burress shooting himself in the leg (mofo literally shot himself in the leg!), but Chinese athletes often find themselves running foul of the law. Last month it was Olympic medalist and now officially ping pong's bad ass, Wang Hao, outside a KTV spot in Beijing. Now, it's a few Shanghainese (Shanghainese bad asses?!?) soccer and basketball players, most notably, Mao Jianqing, who along with his teammate Liu Yintao and CBA player Xu Yong beat the crap out of some guy in a Shanghai bar. Mao now faces up to 7 days in jail and a RMB500 fine.
Mao appeared to be a rising star after his performance in the 2007 Asia Cup, though he has yet to show the same promise for the national team since and was only managed 2 goals for Shenhua this season.
Perhaps he was just angry that Shenhua only came up with a draw against Zhejiang, thus handing the CSL league title to Shandong the day before.
Mao appeared to be a rising star after his performance in the 2007 Asia Cup, though he has yet to show the same promise for the national team since and was only managed 2 goals for Shenhua this season.
Perhaps he was just angry that Shenhua only came up with a draw against Zhejiang, thus handing the CSL league title to Shandong the day before.
2008/11/28
Embarassing Other Leagues, Promoting the Domestic League?
The Chinese domestic soccer league was plagued with issues of fixed matches a few years back and it significantly damaged the domestic game. Now underground Chinese gambling syndicates have been implicated in a match fixing scandal that has hit the Korean K3 League (Korea's 3rd division). When I first heard about it, I thought it was gamblers doing their "national duty" and embarrassing a foreign league to make the Chinese Super League (CSL) look better, but the reality of the situation (3rd division?!?) is surprising and, at the same time, unfortunately unsurprising.
This isn't the first time Chinese gamblers have been implicated in betting (and fixing) games abroad or at the lower levels of soccer. There has long been rumors of Asian gamblers betting on Scottish reserve and youth team games. The gambling craze in China could have even been the reason for a double murder in England.
The government outlaws gambling in China, but it still goes on and, as with a lot of things, being forced underground leads to a lack of regulation and an anything goes environment.
This isn't the first time Chinese gamblers have been implicated in betting (and fixing) games abroad or at the lower levels of soccer. There has long been rumors of Asian gamblers betting on Scottish reserve and youth team games. The gambling craze in China could have even been the reason for a double murder in England.
The government outlaws gambling in China, but it still goes on and, as with a lot of things, being forced underground leads to a lack of regulation and an anything goes environment.
2008/11/19
If a Coach is Named in the Forest...
The Chinese Football Association (CFA), the much maligned organization formerly headed by the hated Xie Yalong, has completed its search for the next Chinese men's soccer (football) team coach and it is...wait for it...Wang Baoshan. It's such a big story that not even People's Daily/Xinhuanet bothered carrying it in their English editions.
With China knocked out of qualification for the 2010 World Cup and only a few boring friendlies on the horizon, the next year or so will be incredibly dull for fans of the Chinese national team. The CFA limited their "search" to domestic candidates, they claimed the limitation was due to economic considerations, a fair point, but what international coach in his right mind wants to come to a team where they'll be able to coach in nothing more than friendlies for the next 2 years?
Even when considering the numerous domestic options, the choice of Wang seems strange. His Shenzhen side currently sits 14th in the CSL standings in 3rd to last place and is (?) in the midst of a relegation battle. (or possibly saved by Wuhan being removed from the league). Most of the articles are so bold as to state that the search basically narrowed down to 6 options, Shen Xiangfu, Yin Tiesheng, Gao Hongbo, Cheng Yaodong, Wu Jingui and Wang. Out of the 6, Wang is by far the least famous/experienced/accomplished, so is it any surprise the CFA chose him? The choice was based on his knowledge of the players as he served as an assistant under the previous manager.
To call the CFA's debate over who should become the new coach a "search" is almost laughable, considering the position has remained open for nearly 6 months and the end result is that all the usual suspects were trotted out. What is interesting is that no mention of former players like Fan Zhiyi or Hao Haidong was made as part of the search. Granted, neither have any previous real coaching experience, but that hasn't stopped even better footballing nations and sides from throwing players into the fire. Plus, with the calls for a new revolution of Chinese football, it might take a firebrand like Hao to actually deliver.
The choice of Wang as the next head coach doesn't inspire me to believe that the next few years are going to see Chinese soccer improve very much. It may be hard to believe, but its possible we've yet to see the national team hit rock bottom.
It's tough being a Chinese soccer fan, which is probably why so few exist anymore.
With China knocked out of qualification for the 2010 World Cup and only a few boring friendlies on the horizon, the next year or so will be incredibly dull for fans of the Chinese national team. The CFA limited their "search" to domestic candidates, they claimed the limitation was due to economic considerations, a fair point, but what international coach in his right mind wants to come to a team where they'll be able to coach in nothing more than friendlies for the next 2 years?
Even when considering the numerous domestic options, the choice of Wang seems strange. His Shenzhen side currently sits 14th in the CSL standings in 3rd to last place and is (?) in the midst of a relegation battle. (or possibly saved by Wuhan being removed from the league). Most of the articles are so bold as to state that the search basically narrowed down to 6 options, Shen Xiangfu, Yin Tiesheng, Gao Hongbo, Cheng Yaodong, Wu Jingui and Wang. Out of the 6, Wang is by far the least famous/experienced/accomplished, so is it any surprise the CFA chose him? The choice was based on his knowledge of the players as he served as an assistant under the previous manager.
To call the CFA's debate over who should become the new coach a "search" is almost laughable, considering the position has remained open for nearly 6 months and the end result is that all the usual suspects were trotted out. What is interesting is that no mention of former players like Fan Zhiyi or Hao Haidong was made as part of the search. Granted, neither have any previous real coaching experience, but that hasn't stopped even better footballing nations and sides from throwing players into the fire. Plus, with the calls for a new revolution of Chinese football, it might take a firebrand like Hao to actually deliver.
The choice of Wang as the next head coach doesn't inspire me to believe that the next few years are going to see Chinese soccer improve very much. It may be hard to believe, but its possible we've yet to see the national team hit rock bottom.
It's tough being a Chinese soccer fan, which is probably why so few exist anymore.
No More CCTV for CSL
After a crazy ending that resulted in a huge kick boxing, punching, and general handbags skirmish in the recent Chinese Super League (CSL) match between Beijing and Tianjin, all caught by tv cameras, CCTV has announced that it is no longer going to show CSL games and will limit or entirely stop its news reporting of the matches. It should also be noted that the now post-controversy match ritual of stoning the away team's bus by wannabe hooligans was employed. Chinese soccer, which rarely garners any mention in the foreign press now must deal with widespread negative press, as the story of CCTV's decision was picked up widely (I was shocked to see it first in the Guardian's "Fiver" this morning) due to an AP story on the subject.
What the AP doesn't mention is that this isn't the first time CCTV has stopped its live coverage of CSL matches, that matches will still be broadcast on local sports channels which are commonly received around the nation, and that in a Netease poll (part of this article), 65% of respondents stated that the CSL is so crappy that CCTV should have done this sooner, while another 30% of people stated that they never paid attention to the CSL anyways. Only 3% were unhappy with CCTV's decision.
This is sad as this has been an incredibly exciting CSL season this year, with Shanghai and Shandong tied at the top of the table with only a few matches left after Shanghai's heart stopping late goal victory last weekend (just wait for the cries, or worse, of match fixing). Chinese football is in a major funk, as was reported here recently, and this isn't going to improve the situation.
In somewhat related news, CCTV has reached an agreement with UEFA and will continue broadcasting Champions League matches for the next 3 years.
What the AP doesn't mention is that this isn't the first time CCTV has stopped its live coverage of CSL matches, that matches will still be broadcast on local sports channels which are commonly received around the nation, and that in a Netease poll (part of this article), 65% of respondents stated that the CSL is so crappy that CCTV should have done this sooner, while another 30% of people stated that they never paid attention to the CSL anyways. Only 3% were unhappy with CCTV's decision.
This is sad as this has been an incredibly exciting CSL season this year, with Shanghai and Shandong tied at the top of the table with only a few matches left after Shanghai's heart stopping late goal victory last weekend (just wait for the cries, or worse, of match fixing). Chinese football is in a major funk, as was reported here recently, and this isn't going to improve the situation.
In somewhat related news, CCTV has reached an agreement with UEFA and will continue broadcasting Champions League matches for the next 3 years.
2008/11/10
Soccer Hooligans in the PRC
This video (hat tip to Shanghaiist), coming after Saturday's 1-1 draw in Shanghai, is the most recent example of the urh...intensity of Shanghai soccer fans. The draw leaves Shanghai 1 point behind Shandong for the league title with only 4 games left (Beijing is in 3rd, 8 points off the title race).
The scene in the video shows some rowdy soccer fans who are having some fun, setting fire to a stuffed version of Beijing's mascot. Their chanting of the "Jing Ma", humorously, could get them in trouble if they were in Beijing. While this sort of spirit makes attending a soccer game more fun and is part of the atmosphere inside the stadium, I've seen myself what happens when it is turned on visiting fans. China's large size makes attending a soccer game similar to the US where, in most cases, there are no fans of the visiting team or just a small contingent of traveling fans and people who have relocated to that city.
There are some "derby" games, when Beijing and Tianjin play or in the old days when there were two teams in Shanghai and often there would be a certain degree of violence outside the stadium. Even now, there are times when large traveling contingents will take to trains and buses and suddenly show up in a nearby city for a match. The police is rarely prepared for these situations or turns the other cheek, though this year there was a large presence in Beijing that led Shanghai fans out of the stadium and onto their bus.
While the big incidents of Chinese soccer violence get reported only because there is no way of avoiding it (huge fights in the stands in Xian, attacking the Japanese bus after the Asian Cup in 2004, etc), there are many small examples of brawls outside of stadiums that simply go unnoticed and unreported, because there is rarely anyone around with a camera and the police doesn't want to be bothered with these "minor" incidents.
The inconsistency and lack of knowledge about how many traveling supporters will show up makes things hard for the police to prepare. I've said it before, but its going to take a death outside a stadium, something not wholly unimaginable, before police take note and step in to make fans safer. It may seem like an off the wall prediction, but when you see the unruly and excitable mass of people above, its not hard to imagine them turning violent very quickly.
2008/10/22
2008/10/21
Sliding Into Obscurity
Chinese soccer has long been a running joke domestically, but while things looked like they were improving for a little while, the current situation is more dire than ever before. Some of the events that brought China to this point:
- Failure to advance from the group stage at Asia Cup 2007
- the Women's squad losing in the quarterfinals at the Women's World Cup 2007 (hosted by China)
- Failure to advance out of the first round of World Cup Qualifying earlier this year
- The Women losing to Japan (of all teams) and bowing out at the Olympics
- Firing the Olympics coach less than a month before the start of the tournament
- The Men's team earning only 1 point (and only scoring 1 goal) in 3 games at the Olympics
- The Wuhan scandal that has plagued the domestic Chinese Superleague this season
- China's FIFA ranking dropping to 97th, down from 73rd in July 2007
In the leadup to the Asia Cup in 2007, there was a lot of hope for Chinese soccer. The domestic league appeared to have fully recovered after the "Black Whistles" scandal and corruption of a few years before and big crowds were turning out. A number of Chinese internationals were finding success in Europe, the men's team looked good going into the Asia Cup, and the Women's World Cup would take place in China.
The picture today is an absolute disaster, the men's team is without a legitimate coach, the domestic league is in turmoil and is being ignored again, the majority of internationals have returned or gone to lesser European clubs, and the women's team is experiencing lean times.
Xie Yalong was (rightfully so) pushed out of his position at the top of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) only a month ago. Calls for his head have been sounded for a year, though they got so loud during the Olympics, even when China wasn't on the pitch, that it became a sort of web/sms joke. It got so bad that during the Paralympics soccer competition, fans could be heard shouting "Xie Yalong xia ke" and a number of websites and forums have been created using this name. The length of time it took the CFA to finally dump Xie and his own surprised reaction to finding out he was being removed says more than anything about how out of touch with the public the CFA has become.
When Fan Zhiyi, the former Chinese captain who led the squad during the World Cup 2002, was asked if he'd be interested in heading up the CFA, he basically said "no chance in hell" as the fan's expectations are so high and the CFA structure is such that success is near impossible.
The CFA is calling for reform of Chinese soccer and forming a new squad in December to prepare for Asia Cup qualifying, which is to begin in January, but all of this sounds so familiar. Part of the problem is the form, the CFA is stuck as a governmental department under the National Sports Administration. Bureaucrats like Xie are regularly appointed to take charge, instead of people with actual soccer knowledge or success. Past failure and snap decisions by the CFA has led to an environment in which no coach would feel comfortable and so no matter how much money is offered, it will be impossible for China to lure a top, international coach to try his hand at turning the national team around.
So what comes next? Will a former national hero like Hao Haidong have the power to reform things or will his regional connection to Dalian further divide the national squad? Will the CFA be able to find a foreigner with a solid resume to revolutionize the current squad or will such an individual be stifled by the CFA's red tape?
Even for the most optimistic of fans, the future looks dismal.
2008/09/23
The Empty Nest
So the Olympics and Paralympics are now over and the amazingly beautiful (and expensive) Bird's Nest, known officially as the Naitonal Stadium, sits empty. It is sure to be a major tourist attraction during the upcoming National Day holiday and will certainly be visited by Chinese and foreigners for years to come. Even after the Paralympics, tourist buses were pulling up to the perimeter and letting people off to get photos of the over $420 million entrancing architecture.
That's all well and good, but what about inside the stadium? The talk was originally that Beijing's Chinese Super League team, Beijing Guoan could use the stadium after the Games. Guoan, which has used Worker's Stadium (Gongti) since its inception in the 90s, was moved to Fengtai Stadium last year as minor renovations prevented them from using Gongti. The thing is, even at the height of their popularity, Guoan never sold out Gongti and in recent years is lucky to get over 20,000 per game. This was bad enough in Gongti, which holds 70,000, but would look a lot worse in the Bird's Nest, which can hold an additional 20,000.
Therefore, despite all the talk that Guoan would move into the Bird's Nest after the Olympics, it should come as no surprise when it was announced today that it is unlikely that the move will take place. It appears that for any event to come close to making money at the Bird's Nest, it needs to have an attendance of over 30,000. Anything under that and it's unlikely that the Bird's Nest will be considered as a venue. Also, there is still the (stupid) feeling that the Bird's Nest should only be used for large and unique sporting and cultural events.
While tickets will be sold to the Olympic Green during National Day and expectations are for over 80,000 visitors per day to get up close to the Nest, they won't be going inside. The Bird's Nest should not sit empty waiting to host another "large" event, hopefully it won't become an albatross along the lines of the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
That's all well and good, but what about inside the stadium? The talk was originally that Beijing's Chinese Super League team, Beijing Guoan could use the stadium after the Games. Guoan, which has used Worker's Stadium (Gongti) since its inception in the 90s, was moved to Fengtai Stadium last year as minor renovations prevented them from using Gongti. The thing is, even at the height of their popularity, Guoan never sold out Gongti and in recent years is lucky to get over 20,000 per game. This was bad enough in Gongti, which holds 70,000, but would look a lot worse in the Bird's Nest, which can hold an additional 20,000.
Therefore, despite all the talk that Guoan would move into the Bird's Nest after the Olympics, it should come as no surprise when it was announced today that it is unlikely that the move will take place. It appears that for any event to come close to making money at the Bird's Nest, it needs to have an attendance of over 30,000. Anything under that and it's unlikely that the Bird's Nest will be considered as a venue. Also, there is still the (stupid) feeling that the Bird's Nest should only be used for large and unique sporting and cultural events.
While tickets will be sold to the Olympic Green during National Day and expectations are for over 80,000 visitors per day to get up close to the Nest, they won't be going inside. The Bird's Nest should not sit empty waiting to host another "large" event, hopefully it won't become an albatross along the lines of the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
2008/08/06
(Fake) Day 1 of the Beijing Olympics
The Olympics unofficially kicked off yesterday with women's soccer around China. The Chinese squad looked pretty good in Shenyang yesterday. An early first half goal was matched by a Swedish response, but great teamwork between Xu Yuan and Han Duan led to Han putting away a goal late in the 2nd half to give China the 2-1 victory. In the other game from Shenyang, Canada beat Argentina 2-1.
The US was in action yesterday, but were defeated 2-0 by a strong Norwegian squad. North Korea cruised to a 1-0 win against Nigeria and there were two draws, between Germany-Brazil (0-0) and Japan-New Zealand (2-2).
Men's soccer gets started today, some of the more enticing matches are the US vs. Japan and Argentina vs. Ivory Coast.
A few very boring special Olympic jerseys on a number of the squads, most surprisingly was China's very plain, all-white kits.
The US was in action yesterday, but were defeated 2-0 by a strong Norwegian squad. North Korea cruised to a 1-0 win against Nigeria and there were two draws, between Germany-Brazil (0-0) and Japan-New Zealand (2-2).
Men's soccer gets started today, some of the more enticing matches are the US vs. Japan and Argentina vs. Ivory Coast.
A few very boring special Olympic jerseys on a number of the squads, most surprisingly was China's very plain, all-white kits.
2008/07/17
The Squad's Picked But Who is the Coach?
Less than a month before the start of the soccer competition in the Olympics, the CFA relieved Dujkovic of his head coaching duties for the Olympics. It's an extremely shocking move coming so close to the Games, but the only question I really have is why didn't it come sooner? There was talk for a long time that Dujkovic was just as responsible as Petrovic was for the World Cup Qualifying failure as Dujkovic seemed to play a major role in the national team's coaching staff and its decisions. Due to this and other internal issues, the press has been discussing a lack of trust between players and the coach leading up to a boiling point last week. Supposedly the move has something to do with health problems on Dujkovic's part, but it's unclear whether he stepped down or was fired by the CFA.
A lot of expectations have been placed on this Chinese team and anything short of the quarterfinals will be seen as a disappointment to most fans. A change like this, coming so close to the Olympics would be seen as dangerous by most, but when the players have lost trust in the coach, its worth the risk and hopefully, it will cause the players to come together and bond, turning out to be beneficial. It seemed to work as China was able to eek out a 1-0 win over Australia in a tough match on Sunday.
The replacement coach is Yin Tiesheng, affectionately known as Steel Egg, and he made some minor changes to the 22 man lineup today, the losers were Zhu Ting and Shen Longyuan, who were moved to the reserves.
The lineup will be:
Zheng Zhi, Li Weifeng, Qiu Shengjiong, Liu Zhenli, Feng Xiaoting, Yuan Weiwei Wan Houliang, Tan Wangsong, Lv Jianjun, Zhao Xuri, Zhou Haibin, Cui Peng, Hao Junmin, Jiang Ning, Chen Tao, Gao Lin, Dong Fangzhuo
and the four reserves are: Shen Longyuan, Zhu Ting, Dai Lin, and Zhang Lu
A lot of expectations have been placed on this Chinese team and anything short of the quarterfinals will be seen as a disappointment to most fans. A change like this, coming so close to the Olympics would be seen as dangerous by most, but when the players have lost trust in the coach, its worth the risk and hopefully, it will cause the players to come together and bond, turning out to be beneficial. It seemed to work as China was able to eek out a 1-0 win over Australia in a tough match on Sunday.
The replacement coach is Yin Tiesheng, affectionately known as Steel Egg, and he made some minor changes to the 22 man lineup today, the losers were Zhu Ting and Shen Longyuan, who were moved to the reserves.
The lineup will be:
Zheng Zhi, Li Weifeng, Qiu Shengjiong, Liu Zhenli, Feng Xiaoting, Yuan Weiwei Wan Houliang, Tan Wangsong, Lv Jianjun, Zhao Xuri, Zhou Haibin, Cui Peng, Hao Junmin, Jiang Ning, Chen Tao, Gao Lin, Dong Fangzhuo
and the four reserves are: Shen Longyuan, Zhu Ting, Dai Lin, and Zhang Lu
2008/06/16
Tianjin Deja Vu
I don't have much to say about China's match against Iraq in Tianjin on Saturday. They did better then against Qatar, as they were able to get on the board first after a questionable free kick decision that Zhou Haibin hammered into the back of the net in the 33rd minute. However, Iraq quickly countered with a goal in the 41st minute where two Chinese defenders were caught ball watching and ignoring their men.
At that point I realized there was no chance in hell that China was going to win the match, I felt very happy I'd given up my tickets to the match. I turned on Kungfu Panda and was entertained for the first time that evening.
3 points in 5 games, 2 goals in that time, what a total disaster. This double headed coaching system needs to end, though one figures Djukovic will be kept on through the Beijing Olympics. There is a lot systematically wrong with the CFA, but those things don't seem like they'll be changed anytime soon. Is there any hope left for Chinese soccer? With all the attention that's been focused on NBA stars Yao and Yi and kids already defecting from love of soccer to love of basketball, things need to change soon or 2011's Asian Cup and then the 2014 World Cup won't look any better.
At that point I realized there was no chance in hell that China was going to win the match, I felt very happy I'd given up my tickets to the match. I turned on Kungfu Panda and was entertained for the first time that evening.
3 points in 5 games, 2 goals in that time, what a total disaster. This double headed coaching system needs to end, though one figures Djukovic will be kept on through the Beijing Olympics. There is a lot systematically wrong with the CFA, but those things don't seem like they'll be changed anytime soon. Is there any hope left for Chinese soccer? With all the attention that's been focused on NBA stars Yao and Yi and kids already defecting from love of soccer to love of basketball, things need to change soon or 2011's Asian Cup and then the 2014 World Cup won't look any better.
2008/06/11
Surviving June While Looking Your Best
There are very few posts that require our full "editorial board" for approval, but this one was highly debated around here. For the most part, the contributors to this blog are men, straight men, sports-loving, beer-drinking, red meat-eating men. That said, we are men of the world, into art, books, and (shudder!) fashion/shopping. The tag "metrosexual" is so 2 years ago, we would prefer the more respectable, more classic gentleman.
We like to look good, but its been a little harder this month. The panda may be China's national treasure, but "panda eyes" is not a good look for men. Unfortunately, this month it's almost unavoidable for sports loving males around China. Euro 2008 (soccer/football) started last weekend and there are 2 group stage matches beginning each night (early morning), one at 00:00 and the other at 02:45. Things will get worse as the midnight game will go by the wayside during the knockout stages and most matches will be a 2-3 am start. Oh the humanity!
So what can soccer lovers/masochists do? There are a number of daily use under eye products for men (yes, most definitely for MEN) in manly packaging for men that are made specifically for men (are we starting to sound like Daffyd?). These products won't only help you get rid of those dark circles after a night watching European soccer, but can also be helpful in the future after a night out at the bars.
We haven't used all the products, but will give you a brief overview of what's out there:
Sephora Eye Countour Fluid - RMB120
Task Essential Active Eye Serum - RMB360
Nickel Eye Countour - RMB315
GF Eye Cream - RMB168
Clarins Undereye Serum - RMB340
Biotherm Homme Visibly Rejuvinating Eye Care - RMB420
Shisheido Men Eye Soother - RMB335
Kiehls Eye Alert - n/a
The majority of these products can be purchased at Sephora or most high end department store's cosmetics counters. Kiehls doesn't have a mainland outlet of its own, but Beijing's Lane Crawford may carry their products (we debated this internally and couldn't come up with the answer). Amongst the editors, the Sephora Eye Countour Fluid (works great and you can't beat the price), Kiehls Eye Alert, and Clarins Undereye Serum all have their fans, while one of us has quickly developed a preference for Sephora's new exclusive Task Essential products (though he's yet to try the eye serum). Additionally, Clarins offers a Fatigue Fighter (RMB380) that works fairly well to give you a bit of a wake up while helping your skin.
So there you go, men of Beijing and Shanghai, we can't help you in staying awake at the office (lots of coffee and Red Bull (in the old or new old cans) may do the trick), but at least you won't look like you were up until 5 am.
Finally, go Holland (and Russia)!
We like to look good, but its been a little harder this month. The panda may be China's national treasure, but "panda eyes" is not a good look for men. Unfortunately, this month it's almost unavoidable for sports loving males around China. Euro 2008 (soccer/football) started last weekend and there are 2 group stage matches beginning each night (early morning), one at 00:00 and the other at 02:45. Things will get worse as the midnight game will go by the wayside during the knockout stages and most matches will be a 2-3 am start. Oh the humanity!
So what can soccer lovers/masochists do? There are a number of daily use under eye products for men (yes, most definitely for MEN) in manly packaging for men that are made specifically for men (are we starting to sound like Daffyd?). These products won't only help you get rid of those dark circles after a night watching European soccer, but can also be helpful in the future after a night out at the bars.
We haven't used all the products, but will give you a brief overview of what's out there:
Sephora Eye Countour Fluid - RMB120
Task Essential Active Eye Serum - RMB360
Nickel Eye Countour - RMB315
GF Eye Cream - RMB168
Clarins Undereye Serum - RMB340
Biotherm Homme Visibly Rejuvinating Eye Care - RMB420
Shisheido Men Eye Soother - RMB335
Kiehls Eye Alert - n/a
The majority of these products can be purchased at Sephora or most high end department store's cosmetics counters. Kiehls doesn't have a mainland outlet of its own, but Beijing's Lane Crawford may carry their products (we debated this internally and couldn't come up with the answer). Amongst the editors, the Sephora Eye Countour Fluid (works great and you can't beat the price), Kiehls Eye Alert, and Clarins Undereye Serum all have their fans, while one of us has quickly developed a preference for Sephora's new exclusive Task Essential products (though he's yet to try the eye serum). Additionally, Clarins offers a Fatigue Fighter (RMB380) that works fairly well to give you a bit of a wake up while helping your skin.
So there you go, men of Beijing and Shanghai, we can't help you in staying awake at the office (lots of coffee and Red Bull (in the old or new old cans) may do the trick), but at least you won't look like you were up until 5 am.
Finally, go Holland (and Russia)!
2008/06/09
Tragic Result in Tianjin...
Disappointment. What can be said about a loss that wasn’t meant to be a loss, that never should have been a loss. There is no question about it, the picture above says it all, the coach, sitting there, looking dejected, but with nothing to say, not acting like a coach. Those with a distant memory will remember back to that rough night in Qatar during the qualifying campaign for the 2002 World Cup. Bora, the now mystical, beloved, coach, but at that time he was embattled, barely hanging on to his job, standing up angrily barking orders, but by his side was Hao Haidong, taken out of the game already all he could do was try to motivate the team, give directions, but who was the coach, Bora or Hao? It was a very different picture Saturday night, the coach, sitting there all game long, another 50/50 foul going against China, another yellow card, and Sun Jihai, probably in his last qualifying campaign, simply couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t take the coach ignoring what was going on, Sun jumped up and yelled at the ref, got himself a red card, got himself suspended for the next match, but it was worth it, it showed somebody actually cared. This is the problem, did any of those players actually care? Where was the emotion in Li Weifeng? Why was Han Peng, who still has many years left, the only one crying? And that's really the question, when once again it looks like China won’t make it to a World Cup, whether it's the players or the people around the country, does anyone actually care anymore???It didn’t have to be that way. From the start China controlled play, before even a minute passed, Gao Lin had one of the games best chances off a long ball played up, but his shot passed barely wide of the left post. Within the first 10 minutes, another great chance came China’s way after Zheng Zhi beat his defender on the right wing and played a ball into the middle where Zhu Ting attempted a beautiful back heel that would have been one of China’s prettiest goals ever, though it hit the post. The only other scoring chance after that was on a first half cross which the CCTV announcers insisted was a handball in the box, though they (oddly) never replayed it and so it couldn’t be confirmed (and most likely wasn’t).
But then, the moment that changed the match, a free kick given to Qatar after a fine run up the wing by Yusuf Ali (who China didn't have an answer for all night) earning them a free kick and Gao Lin, the player who almost had the early goal, stupidly, wastefully, pulling down his mark, giving the Qataris a penalty kick which was coolly slotted away by Soria to make it 1-0 to Qatar.
And that was all she wrote. Unfortunately at that still early moment it wasn’t known, but it soon became clear, they could have played 120 minutes and China wouldn’t have scored a goal. The lineup, with only 2 veteran players, a major gamble to begin with, went to pieces after that goal. Playing in this do-or-die match, these kids, basically the Olympic squad, were outmatched by the Qatari veterans. The players that should have been leaders, Zheng Zhi and Datou, were as immature as the kids.
As much as the players are to blame for their poor performance, the coach’s role must be questioned. This time, an attacking lineup was chosen, but it was too young, too inexperienced, some players getting their first major national team start. The plan seemed to be to push the ball up the right wing, but when the Qataris figured that out and put 2 or 3 extra men on that side of the field, no adjustment was made. The plan seemed to be to play high balls into the middle and win headers, but Han Peng, the tallest striker, wasn’t on the field until the 2nd half, when that strategy already stopped working. A halftime substitution saw China’s defense, already struggling, reduced to only 3 players as Du Zhenyu went in for Sun Xiang. At that point in the match, to make this kind of attacking move seemed a bit unusual, but I don't have a problem with it. However, still desperately needing a goal (and less than 20 minutes later), the coach decided to switch like for like, taking off 2 forwards and putting 2 other forwards on.
Qatar, simply needing a draw from this result, played their part perfectly after getting the goal. They sat back, put their men in the box so that even when a Chinese player beat his man on the wing, the cross could be innocently parried away, and then played the counter attack perfectly, coming up with a few quality chances. They also used the Chinese players urgency and frustration against them. The Chinese team tallied up yellow cards with sometime stupid, sometimes iffy fouls, but this forced them to play more reserved. Li Weifeng, a veteran playing in what is perhaps his last World Cup qualifying campaign, led the way for juvenile play, often arguing with the refs and resorting to a number of questionable actions (including an outright push) that probably should have earned him a second yellow card.
So what's left to be said? Iraq comes into Tianjin next weekend pumped up after their win over Australia (like I said, no way the Aussies were going on the road and coming back with 6 points) and knowing a win in this match could see them going from bottom of the group (and almost kicked out of the competition) to a likely qualifier, while China will be without Sun Jihai and Li Weifeng and will seemingly have a hard time getting up for this match.
Oh yeah, let Petrovic finish up the qualifying campaign and then DUMP HIM! Let's just hope his replacement will do a better job...
2008/06/02
Near Disaster in the Desert
China went to the Middle East once again, this time Qatar, and once again, the result was a letdown. China came out and played overly defensive, but still had a few decent chances, the best was a great series of passes that ended with a Sun Jihai shot just wide and a second half chance by Han Peng, which the keeper was just barely able to knock wide. China's defensive strategy was in one sense rewarded by the fact that, despite the intense heat and being on the road, they are able to return to China with 1 point.
Syed Bechir almost destroyed China's run of draws with a great chance just 2 minutes from the whistle, but the crossbar saved the keeper, as well as China's dream of a spot in the next round of qualifying (at this point, its too much to say "China's dream of appearing in South Africa"). Soria was strong and China failed to find an answer for him defensively for most of the match. China was outplayed for the most part, but a draw seems like a fair result, all things considered.
This means that the match on Saturday is a definite must-win situation for China. As things stand right now, after 3 games, things look like this:
1. Australia - 7 points
2. Qatar - 4 points
3. China - 3 points
4. Iraq - 1 point
China will put itself in a strong position to advance if it can beat Qatar and Iraq in Tianjin the next two weekends. This would give them 9 points and see them surpass Qatar in the standings. Australia has looked beatable in their previous two matches and their next two matches will be in the Middle Eastern heat, in Dubai and Doha, so a Qatari upset of the Aussies could really damage Chinese hopes. Taking care of business at home would make things easier for the Chinese when they go to Sydney on the final matchday. The Chinese side definitely doesn't want that final match in Australia be one where they need points to advance.
There will be a bit more for you on Friday previewing Matchday 4.
Syed Bechir almost destroyed China's run of draws with a great chance just 2 minutes from the whistle, but the crossbar saved the keeper, as well as China's dream of a spot in the next round of qualifying (at this point, its too much to say "China's dream of appearing in South Africa"). Soria was strong and China failed to find an answer for him defensively for most of the match. China was outplayed for the most part, but a draw seems like a fair result, all things considered.
This means that the match on Saturday is a definite must-win situation for China. As things stand right now, after 3 games, things look like this:
1. Australia - 7 points
2. Qatar - 4 points
3. China - 3 points
4. Iraq - 1 point
China will put itself in a strong position to advance if it can beat Qatar and Iraq in Tianjin the next two weekends. This would give them 9 points and see them surpass Qatar in the standings. Australia has looked beatable in their previous two matches and their next two matches will be in the Middle Eastern heat, in Dubai and Doha, so a Qatari upset of the Aussies could really damage Chinese hopes. Taking care of business at home would make things easier for the Chinese when they go to Sydney on the final matchday. The Chinese side definitely doesn't want that final match in Australia be one where they need points to advance.
There will be a bit more for you on Friday previewing Matchday 4.
2008/05/30
African Dreams in the Mid Eastern Desert
Matchday Three of World Cup Qualifying in Asia is upon us and most of the attention is on Iraq as FIFA overruled its earlier decision and will allow the Iraqis to continue on their qualifying campaign. China goes to Qatar for a dual in Doha in a match that is very much a must win for China if it wants to keep its qualifying dreams alive.
This Group of Death has lived up to its name as no team has really come forward. China struggled to get a draw with Iraq and then outplayed Australia, though that match ended in a draw as well. Qatar got creamed by Australia, but then went out and solidly beat Iraq. Finally, those plucky Iraqis, perhaps bolstered by the fact they're still in the competition, went to Australia yesterday and gave the Aussies a fight, though they still fell 1-0 in the end.
Both China and Qatar are coming off 2-0 wins in recent friendlies, China's over Jordan and Qatar's over Lebanon. Any time a Chinese squad travels to the Gulf, weather is a concern, especially this time of year, but the Chinese coach believes his squad can overcome the conditions. They will also need to overcome the red hot Sebastian Soria, who has scored a number of goals for the Qataris recently.
The Chinese squad has high hopes for this match and wants to win for the people of China and particularly the Sichuan earthquake victims. Whether this will work as an inspiration or added pressure is yet to be seen. This match will kick off a very busy month as the two squads will finish their match today and quickly head to China for a rematch in Tianjin on Saturday, the 7th. A week after that, the Iraqis come to Tianjin and a week later, China goes to Sydney to face the Australians.
This group is still up for grabs, though it will all be decided in the next 3 weeks. China has a good shot at advancing, but it all begins with a win tonight in Doha, without that, it will take 3 wins in the final 3 matches, an uphill battle, especially considering the final game is in Australia.
It all begins tonight for China (or technically tomorrow) with a start time of 00:00 Beijing time (on 6/3). Sina's projected lineup is a 451 (or more likely a 4411):
Goalie: Zong Lei
Defense: Sun Xiang, Li Weifeng, Xu Yunlong, Zhang Shuai
Midfield: Zhu Ting, Zhou Haibin, Zheng Zhi, Sun Jihai, Hao Junmin
Forward: Han Peng
Prediction: The optimist in me wants to believe China can pull out a victory, so 1-0 to China.
This Group of Death has lived up to its name as no team has really come forward. China struggled to get a draw with Iraq and then outplayed Australia, though that match ended in a draw as well. Qatar got creamed by Australia, but then went out and solidly beat Iraq. Finally, those plucky Iraqis, perhaps bolstered by the fact they're still in the competition, went to Australia yesterday and gave the Aussies a fight, though they still fell 1-0 in the end.
Both China and Qatar are coming off 2-0 wins in recent friendlies, China's over Jordan and Qatar's over Lebanon. Any time a Chinese squad travels to the Gulf, weather is a concern, especially this time of year, but the Chinese coach believes his squad can overcome the conditions. They will also need to overcome the red hot Sebastian Soria, who has scored a number of goals for the Qataris recently.
The Chinese squad has high hopes for this match and wants to win for the people of China and particularly the Sichuan earthquake victims. Whether this will work as an inspiration or added pressure is yet to be seen. This match will kick off a very busy month as the two squads will finish their match today and quickly head to China for a rematch in Tianjin on Saturday, the 7th. A week after that, the Iraqis come to Tianjin and a week later, China goes to Sydney to face the Australians.
This group is still up for grabs, though it will all be decided in the next 3 weeks. China has a good shot at advancing, but it all begins with a win tonight in Doha, without that, it will take 3 wins in the final 3 matches, an uphill battle, especially considering the final game is in Australia.
It all begins tonight for China (or technically tomorrow) with a start time of 00:00 Beijing time (on 6/3). Sina's projected lineup is a 451 (or more likely a 4411):
Goalie: Zong Lei
Defense: Sun Xiang, Li Weifeng, Xu Yunlong, Zhang Shuai
Midfield: Zhu Ting, Zhou Haibin, Zheng Zhi, Sun Jihai, Hao Junmin
Forward: Han Peng
Prediction: The optimist in me wants to believe China can pull out a victory, so 1-0 to China.
2008/05/26
So Long Iraq, We Hardly Knew Ya?
A strange saga is going on right now as the Iraqi government seems to have disbanded its sports organizations, including, at least according to FIFA, the Iraqi Football Association (IFA). Executives at FIFA have decided to suspend Iraq and the FIFA Congress will meet on May 30th to decide whether to suspend Iraq for a year.
It seems that the original announcement from the Iraqi Sports Ministry was a bit confusing and now the head of the IFA has appealed to FIFA claiming that the disbanding only included a part of the Iraqi Olympic Committee and has no effect on the IFA. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, but Iraq may also be facing punishment from the IOC, including the possibility of being barred from participating in this year's Olympics.
Of course, in World Cup Qualifying, Iraq is in the same group as China. During their qualifying match in February, China struggled to earn a point off Iraq. If Iraq is suspended, it will mean the group will only consist of 3 teams, making China's road somewhat easier (or at least more defined) and will require success in their matches against Qatar, the first of which is a road fixture to be played this Sunday (June 1st). Australia, who will be more or less assured qualifying if Iraq is dropped, is set to lose almost US$3 million if their match against Iraq, scheduled for this Saturday, is canceled.
For more on this story:
Iraq Suspended From International Competition
It seems that the original announcement from the Iraqi Sports Ministry was a bit confusing and now the head of the IFA has appealed to FIFA claiming that the disbanding only included a part of the Iraqi Olympic Committee and has no effect on the IFA. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, but Iraq may also be facing punishment from the IOC, including the possibility of being barred from participating in this year's Olympics.
Of course, in World Cup Qualifying, Iraq is in the same group as China. During their qualifying match in February, China struggled to earn a point off Iraq. If Iraq is suspended, it will mean the group will only consist of 3 teams, making China's road somewhat easier (or at least more defined) and will require success in their matches against Qatar, the first of which is a road fixture to be played this Sunday (June 1st). Australia, who will be more or less assured qualifying if Iraq is dropped, is set to lose almost US$3 million if their match against Iraq, scheduled for this Saturday, is canceled.
For more on this story:
Iraq Suspended From International Competition
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