In preparation for the 18-strong tournament starting in March, the Chinese men's football team recently reconvened to begin their first training camp of 2025. In this training session, head coach Ivan Kozlovic, in order to evaluate more players, called up a total of 32 players at once. Among them, the highly anticipated overseas player Hou Yongyong was successfully selected and wore the national team jersey for the first time. However, one player chose to ignore Ivan's invitation and refused to report to the national team, casting a thick shadow over his future with the national team.
This player is Li Ke, the 31-year-old naturalized international, who is certainly familiar to fans who follow Chinese football. As one of the first batch of naturalized players for the national team, Li Ke was selected for the Chinese team as early as 2019 and represented the national team in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Despite frequent coaching changes in the Chinese team since then, Li Ke's position has remained stable, receiving ample playing opportunities under both Li Tie and Yang Kewei.
However, before last year's Asian Cup, Li Ke clashed with the national team. While preparing with the team, Li Ke violated regulations set by then-head coach Yang Kewei and was punished, resulting in his exclusion from the national team roster. To establish the authority of the head coach, the staff of the Football Association at that time all chose to support Yang Kewei, forcing Li Ke to return home and bid an early farewell to the Asian Cup.
This punishment has been etched in Li Ke's memory. According to the latest revelation from the well-known domestic media "Beijing Youth Daily," when the national team called up players this time, head coach Ivan Kozlovic repeatedly persuaded Li Ke, hoping he would return to the team. However, despite the Croatian veteran's repeated invitations, Li Ke resolutely chose to refuse. The reason for his refusal to join the national team is that during his previous punishment by Yang Kewei, the Football Association did not provide him with more support. It seems he is using his refusal to play for the Chinese team as a way to openly express his dissatisfaction with the Chinese Football Association.
In response, fans have almost unanimously sided with the Football Association, launching a barrage of criticism against Li Ke. Some fans commented: "Still holding a grudge even after the coach changed? Isn't it normal for the Football Association to support the head coach? If you don't want to play, just get out of China!" Another fan wrote: "What's the point of signing such a player, Shanghai Shenhua? He should be directly banned; naturalizing you isn't to make it easier for you to come to China to make money!" There were also fans who said: "There are problems with both his ability and professionalism, and now he's added a fragile mentality; he's completely finished!"
It can be affirmed that as this report continues to ferment, Li Ke's reputation within the country will gradually deteriorate. Even if he actively wants to return to the national team in the future, it's unlikely to happen!