It's raining misfortunes when your roof leaks, and now Shandong Taishan's foreign players are being targeted again. We haven't even had a chance to strengthen our team with new signings, but it seems like there's trouble brewing at home. From Crespo last time to Zeka today, what's going on? There were rumors at the end of the season that Japanese teams were inquiring about Crespo, and that Kawasaki Frontale's former coach, Takashi Ono, was interested in bringing the Brazilian to his new club, Kashima Antlers. But then what happened? No news! Now it's said that Korean teams have set their sights on Zeka, the center forward who only joined Shandong last year and spent half the year recovering from injuries. The team interested in Zeka this time is Ulsan Hyundai. What's the deal? It seems like Chinese teams are always the ones left holding the bag. When we bought Zeka, we paid a breach of contract fee of 2 million euros and a salary of 1 million euros, not to mention the medical expenses. Does this mean that after all that Shandong Taishan has invested, Ulsan Hyundai is just waiting to take advantage? Zeka isn't indispensable; at the very least, the accounts should be settled for 3 million euros. We can be generous and waive the medical fees. I suspect that it might be Choi Kang-hee's team spreading these rumors through domestic Korean media again. The message seems to be: if you don't want the players I buy, I'll create some public opinion and take away your star striker. There…

In just five days, two former national team players have spoken out in support of Li Tie, referring to him as "my eternal Iron Brother" and emphasizing his uprightness and good treatment of others. Introduction Everyone thinks that the sentence for Li Tie is light, and he actually appealed. The former "pride of the national football team," Li Tie, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for bribery and corruption. In response, fans were delighted and applauded. However, ten days later, on the last day of the appeal period, he filed a lawsuit with the court, requesting a retrial of the case. Perhaps he believes that although he was found to have embezzled 120 million yuan, he has returned most of the stolen funds, and the 20-year sentence is too harsh; it should be lenient. This immediately sparked angry discussions from all sectors of society, with netizens having different opinions. But just as everyone was attacking and condemning him, within a few short days, two former national team players came forward to speak out and counterattack on his behalf. When the crowd mocked him as "Tiezi," these two respectfully referred to him as "Ge Tie." Who are they? Why are they unwavering in their support for him? Why did Li Tie get into trouble in the first place? It turns out that head coach Xie Hui had foreseen this earlier. I. Former National Team Players Do Not Throw Stones at a Fallen Well, They Speak Out to Support Li Tie One emphatically states, "Li Tie is upright and treats people…

In the ever-changing landscape of international football, every move made by the national team is under intense scrutiny. Recently, a statement by Croatian coach Ivan has sent shockwaves through the domestic football scene, igniting a flurry of heated discussions. When the media posed the weighty topic of the prospects for the national team's 18-strong match to the venerable Ivan, his bold declaration of "leading the national team to directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup as one of the top two in the group" immediately caused a stir, completely disregarding the winding and treacherous path of the playoff escape route. At first glance, Ivan's confidence seems somewhat out of place. After all, the national team's journey to promotion has been fraught with thorns and traps, extremely perilous. Looking back at the 36-strong tournament schedule, the national team's performance was truly heart-wrenching. In confrontations with Singapore and Thailand, the national team suffered consecutive setbacks, precious points slipping away like sand through their fingers, pushing them to the brink of despair, their situation precarious. The away game against South Korea ended in a dismal 0-1 defeat, and they only managed to squeeze into the top 18 with a meager goal difference advantage, the whole process akin to dancing on a razor's edge, where any misstep could lead to utter failure, leaving fans' hearts in their throats. Entering the early stages of the top 18, the national team still couldn't shake off their slump. In the first three rounds against strong football nations like Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, the shadow of three…

Currently, in the Chinese Super League (CSL), apart from Shanghai Port's Oscar and Bargos, Shandong Taishan's Crescendo and Leonardo are also quite impressive. However, due to the salary cap policy imposed by the Football Association, both Oscar and Bargos of Shanghai Port have not renewed their contracts and there is a possibility that they may leave the CSL. It will be a challenge for Shanghai Port to find suitable replacements for them next season. Will they still be contenders for the championship trophy? Leonardo was loaned out to Zhejiang team last season by Shandong Taishan. Just how strong is he? After 30 rounds of the CSL, he played in 29 matches, starting every game, scoring 21 goals and providing 5 assists. His statistics speak for themselves! Crescendo, after 30 rounds of the CSL, played in 24 matches for Shandong Taishan (starting 19 times), scoring 11 goals and providing 4 assists. Despite having such a formidable foreign player combination, head coach Choi Kang-hee seems to overlook them, with Leonardo being loaned out to Zhejiang team. At the end of the year, when his contract expires, Leonardo openly expressed his desire to continue playing in a CSL team. Given the current situation at Shandong Taishan, it is estimated that the possibility of Leonardo renewing his contract is small. Where will Leonardo go next? No matter where he goes, we wish him all the best! During the off-season, Shandong Taishan has only seen players leaving without any new signings. It has been reported that defenders Tong Lei and Sun Guowen have joined Zhejiang…

In Chinese football, especially in the foreign aid market of the Chinese Super League (CSL), recent years have witnessed a significant transformation. If the foreign players in the CSL were once superstars with a dazzling aura, they are now increasingly resembling thrifty experts who not only seek excellent ball skills but also control budgets—much like those who excel at finding the most cost-effective products and reducing the "intelligence tax." Oscar and Balagas, two former foreign players who enjoyed immense success with Shanghai Port (formerly known as Shanghai SIPG), announced their departure from the CSL. This decision reflects not only the tragedy of the club but also serves as a mirror to the entire foreign aid market of the CSL, revealing the inevitable choices that clubs must make under current economic conditions. These two players are not ordinary; they are among the giants of the sport. Oscar, once a Brazilian national team member, and Balagas, a former tough midfielder from South America, their departure sends a message: even the wealthy clubs in the CSL must face budget constraints. It's no longer sustainable to rely solely on big-name foreign players; ultimately, they too must exercise financial prudence. The ideal foreign player for CSL clubs now has an annual salary ranging from 100,000to100,000 to 100,000to150,000. What does this mean? Simply put, these players can significantly enhance the team's strength without imposing a heavy financial burden—like finding a product with high cost-effectiveness that offers both quality and affordability without depleting your monthly salary. Why have these salary-range players become so desirable? The reason is…

At 12:29 AM Beijing time on December 29th, the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup football tournament continued, with Saudi Arabia defeating Iraq 3-1 in the last round of Group B. After accumulating 6 points over 3 rounds, Saudi Arabia secured second place in the group and narrowly qualified for the semi-finals. Next, Saudi Arabia will face Oman in the semi-finals, while Bahrain will play against Kuwait. Just before the national team organized a new training session, two opponents from the same group in the top 18 qualifiers, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, had already appeared in the Gulf Cup. It was quite coincidental that both teams were drawn into the same group. In the end, Saudi Arabia lost 2-3 to Bahrain, but they ended their streak of five winless matches by turning things around with a 3-2 victory over Yemen in the second round. In order to prepare early for the resumption of the top 18 qualifiers next March, plus the fact that the Gulf Cup is the highest-level event in the Arab and Middle East regions, Saudi Arabia's head coach Hervé Renard fielded most of the main squad, with only players from European leagues absent. In the final round, Saudi Arabia competed with Iraq for the remaining qualification spot in the group. Both teams had one win and one loss in the first two rounds, with Saudi Arabia temporarily occupying second place in the group due to a better goal difference. Therefore, a draw in the final round would be enough for Saudi Arabia to surpass Iraq and advance to the…

The entry process is nearing completion, and finally good news has arrived: Guangzhou Team has been saved. The team has reached a settlement with the players who were owed wages, and it now appears that Guangzhou Team will not be disbanded for the time being, having narrowly escaped another crisis. This time, Guangzhou Team must thank players like Wei Shihao and Yang Liyu, who did not want to destroy the team and were willing to negotiate. Previously, after the Football Association announced the second batch of debt repayment list, former Guangzhou Team players such as Wei Shihao voiced their opinions on social media platforms. At that time, they were not as aggressive as other teams' wage-seeking players; instead, they targeted the Football Association, hoping that it could play a mediating role. It now seems that they still have feelings for the team and are willing to give Guangzhou Team a way out. Moreover, Guangzhou Team has indeed done a lot of work in the past, holding offline special sales events and negotiating with Cannavaro. At that time, Cannavaro withdrew his appeal to FIFA, and now, the players he valued most at Guangzhou Team—Wei Shihao, Yang Liyu, and Yan Dinghao—would obviously not make things too difficult for Guangzhou Team. It is most likely that Guangzhou Team was previously too busy to communicate with its meritorious players in time, leading to subsequent misunderstandings. Additionally, there have recently been rumors that Guangzhou Team is selling its main goalkeeper, Huo Shenping, with Zhejiang Team possibly becoming his new home, which would require a transfer…

The Chinese national football team has four important matches to play in 2025. In the top 18 qualifiers, they will face Saudi Arabia away and Australia at home in March, Indonesia away in June, and Bahrain at home. The national team is currently only one point behind second-placed Australia in the group, giving them a chance to directly qualify for the World Cup. Next, the national team will start training to prepare for the arrival of key events. Officially withdrawing, Wu Lei announces a new decision, which Ivan approves. Currently, the group opponents of the national team, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, have Gulf Cup matches, while Indonesia participated in the Southeast Asian Championship. The opponents are using matches as training to strengthen team chemistry, which is unfavorable for the national team. The national team has no match tasks and needs to be more committed during training to exercise the team and discover new talent. On December 28th, according to a report by Xiao Nan, a reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily, the national team is expected to start a training camp of no more than 10 days around January 8th, with the location being Haikou, Hainan, and the training list including about 30 players. The reporter revealed that Wu Lei will be unable to participate in the training due to injury. For the national team, it is regrettable that Wu Lei continues to recover from his injury and cannot return to the team for training or integrate with his teammates. Wu Lei, 33 years old, is the top scorer in…

Indonesia's recent performance has shocked everyone! The competition in the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup's top 18 was already tense and fierce, but no one expected a team that many had underestimated to rise up - that's Indonesia. You heard it right, Indonesia! Their performance in this qualifying round is really something to talk about, becoming a true dark horse. And while our national football team is in trouble, this can't help but make people reflect: where exactly is the gap? Let's start with Indonesia, which is really surprising. Their success did not happen overnight, but after a period of effort and adjustment, especially in the past two years, they have started to vigorously introduce naturalized players. Indonesia even attracted more than ten Dutch players to join, which greatly enhanced their overall strength. Judging from the performance in the game, the addition of naturalized players has really been effective, enhancing the competitiveness of the team. Although they encountered some problems at first, through competitions with strong teams such as Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Bahrain, Indonesia showed a very noticeable strength. So far, Indonesia has accumulated 6 points and ranks third in the group with a goal difference advantage, with a fierce momentum. Now let's look at our Chinese team. Compared with Indonesia's performance, the situation of the national football team seems a bit embarrassing. The naturalized players of the national football team, like Luo Guofu and Hou Yongyong, although appeared on the court, their effects are not obvious, and the overall performance of the team is also average. In…

On December 28th, Beijing time, the official Weibo account of Cangzhou Mighty Lions, a Chinese Super League club, responded to rumors of its dissolution. The club stated that it has reached a settlement agreement with the players regarding their reasonable demands for unpaid wages, and the funds for the settlement have been secured, awaiting final approval from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). Subsequently, all the players of Cangzhou Mighty Lions signed an open letter addressed to the CFA. In the letter, the players expressed that the funds have been received, and the club and the players have reached a reconciliation. They thanked the CFA for its strict review process and requested not to revoke the team's entry qualification due to a one-day delay in the arrival of funds. On the evening of December 20th, the CFA announced the second batch of clubs that had completed debt repayment, with Cangzhou Mighty Lions included in the list. However, after the announcement, as many as ten current or former players of Cangzhou Mighty Lions publicly questioned the club's actions. Players such as Oscar, Yan Zihao, Zheng Dalun, Mo Xuchen, Wang Peng, Wen Da, Zheng Kaimu, Guo Hao, Shao Puliang, and Sun Qinhan posted on social media or reposted messages criticizing the club for unpaid wages. Foreign player Oscar, who has left the club, even claimed that he had not received any payment. After a week of silence, Cangzhou Mighty Lions finally made a public response. With the strong support of the Cangzhou Municipal Party Committee and Government, the club has reached a settlement…