Expensive soccer project

“There’s no point!” Humiliation shakes China

The Chinese national soccer team went down 7-0 in Japan.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Chinese national soccer team suffered a 0:7 debacle against Japan in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. A sporting revelation that caused fierce criticism in the proud country. The government had pumped a lot of money into the development of the sport of soccer over the years. "There's no point," is now the dismayed verdict. 

The start of the third qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup felt more like the end of all hope for the Chinese national team. In Saitama, Japan were put to the sword. The 0:7 score did not even really reflect the difference in class that could be seen on the pitch. 

A humiliation for the proud nation that has invested a lot of money in soccer development over the years. On the pitch of the Saitama Stadium, which in 2002 was part of the very World Cup in which China qualified for the first and last time, the dream of sporting advancement finally came to an end.

Project a waste of money?
"A catastrophic defeat" or "A low point for Chinese soccer" were the headlines even in the country's otherwise gracious media. And the social networks are also venting their frustration. There is talk of a disgrace for the whole nation. The national team players are confronted with hate comments.

"We still don't know what the Japanese goalkeeper looks like," said one user with gallows humor. Others called for the national team to be disbanded in order to avoid further disgrace. "If there's a difference in performance and you lose, that's acceptable. What is difficult for soccer fans to accept is a defeat like this," said former national team player Fan Zhiyi, expressing his outrage. In the end, most users agree on one thing: "There is no point in spending any more money on this useless project."