Recently, the Chinese Football Association released the training list for the Chinese national youth team in preparation for the U20 Asian Cup (Asian Youth Championship) scheduled to start on February 12th.
This competition is of vital importance to Chinese football, as the top four teams will secure a spot to represent Asia at the 2025 Chile U20 World Cup.
For the national youth team, this match is akin to their "lifeline," especially considering that the Chinese national youth team has not qualified for the World Youth Championship for a full 20 years.
However, things are not that simple.
Since this competition is not held during the international match days specified by FIFA, several clubs from Europe have expressed their refusal to release players.
Specifically, the Hospitalet team from the Spanish Second Division B, the Marbella team from the Spanish First Division A, and the Rochefort United team from the Belgian Third Division have all declined to allow their Chinese players to participate in training and matches.
The reason given by these clubs is straightforward - they are currently in a critical stage of the season and rely on these players to fight for promotion, especially since these three Chinese players play key roles as rotational starters in their respective teams.
For them, the U20 Asian Cup does not seem worth disrupting the rhythm of the league.
In this situation, the Chinese Football Association has not given up and has actively engaged in communication with these European clubs.
They stated that this competition is crucial for the future of Chinese football and hope that the clubs can understand and support the players' return to the national team.
As a result, the Hospitalet team and Rochefort United showed some compromise, indicating that they would consider releasing the players, but the Marbella team remained firm, stating that Du Yuezheng's departure would significantly impact the team's promotion goals, thus still refusing to release him.
Speaking of Du Yuezheng, you may already know that he is a member of the Marbella team in the Spanish First Division A, aged 19, and plays an important role in the forward line.
Since joining the Marbella team last August, Du Yuezheng's performance has gradually been valued by the team.
Despite this, the Marbella team still insists on its stance, stating that it will wait until a few days before the start of the U20 Asian Cup to consider whether to release him.
Considering the importance of this match, the Chinese Football Association is clearly unwilling to give up and is continuing to communicate with the Marbella team to try to get Du Yuezheng back to the national youth team as soon as possible.
According to the plan, Du Yuezheng may only have the opportunity to report to the national youth team after February 4th.
A netizen commented, "European clubs obviously prioritize the promotion needs of the players, after all, their immediate goals are the most practical. However, the Chinese Football Association is not a pushover either, so this game of wits will be quite interesting." These words indeed reflect the complex relationship between the national youth team and the clubs, as football is not just about the players' dreams but also involves the survival of the clubs.
This "tug-of-war" between China and Europe is undoubtedly a good phenomenon.
The increasing importance of players in European clubs also means that their personal abilities and values are gradually being recognized.
To some extent, this can be seen as a symbol of Chinese football gradually moving towards internationalization.
With more and more Chinese players entering the top leagues in Europe in the future, the performance of the national youth team in international competitions will gradually gain the understanding and support of the clubs.
"This is really big news! It's refreshing to see so many European clubs valuing Chinese players." Another netizen's view focuses more on the future development of Chinese football.
He believes that with more Chinese players taking on important roles in European clubs, we might really see more Chinese players appearing in top events like the World Cup and European Championships in the future.
The release of this training list marks the comprehensive launch of the Chinese national youth team's preparations for the U20 Asian Cup.
For Chinese football, this is not just a match, but also an opportunity for self-validation.
With the efforts of the players and the support of the clubs, whether the national youth team can break through the embarrassing situation of the past 20 years and return to the stage of the World Youth Championship is something that every Chinese football fan should pay attention to.