President Xi Jinping, an avowed football lover, has declared that China should fulfil his three dreams of hosting, qualifying for, and winning a World Cup.
Huang Bowen (centre) of China celebrates with his teammates after
scoring a goal during the 2018 World Cup football qualifying match
against Qatar in Xi'an on Mar 29, 2016. (Photo: AFP)
BEIJING: China's perennially low-ranked football team will
be one of the world's greatest by 2050, the government vowed in a plan
released by China's top economic planning body Monday (Apr 11).
The 14-page plan outlined a multi-decade vision to vault
Team Dragon - currently ranked 81 in the world by FIFA - into the elite
and "realise the goal of being the top class soccer nation", it said.
It was issued by a joint committee of the National Sports
Administration, the Chinese Football Association, the education ministry
and the National Development and Reform Commission.
President Xi Jinping, an avowed football lover, has declared
that China should fulfil his three dreams of hosting, qualifying for,
and winning a World Cup.
But the world's most populous country has had dismal results, only ever appearing once at the World Cup in 2002.
The committee said that in the next four years China will
have 20,000 soccer academies, 30 million elementary and middle school
pupils playing the sport, among more than 50 million Chinese active in
the game.
By following the blueprint China will "realise the dream of
springing to the top at football" and bring to life "the
sports-superpower dream" and "national revival dream", it said.
The report came shortly after China's 2-0 shock win against
previously unbeaten Qatar, thrilling local fans and sending the team
through to the final Asian qualifying stage for Russia 2018.
The team have enjoyed a recent spurt of success under
reinstated coach Gao Hongbo, who replaced Frenchman Alain Perrin after
he was sacked following a 0-0 draw with Hong Kong in November that left
China facing elimination.
- AFP/rw
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