National Football Team's New Leader? Wei Shihao's Major Transformation: Leading Support for the Coach + Setting an Example, Ivan Praises Him Individually On January 15th, Beijing time, according to the "Evening News" report, the national football team coach Ivan Kovic is very satisfied with Wei Shihao. Wei Shihao is already 29 years old and no longer young. Although he criticized the Guangzhou team and caused dissatisfaction among many fans, on the field, he is really becoming more and more mature and has become a help to the national team. As a "middle-aged" player in this national team, Wei Shihao sets an example by taking the lead in implementing the requirements of the coaching staff and supporting the head coach, playing a good role in transmitting, helping, and leading. According to the "Evening News," Ivan rarely praises a single player individually, but he is different with Wei Shihao, showing that he is satisfied with him. Wei Shihao's major transformation is not only a personal improvement but also reflects from the side that the Chinese Football Association's focus on ideological work in recent times has been effective, and the overall atmosphere of the team is getting better and better. It seems that Wei Shihao has the potential to become the new leader of the national football team. He will be entering his thirties in April this year, and it is indeed time for him to take on his responsibilities.

The dissolution of Guangzhou FC is indeed an outcome that many fans find unacceptable, and it has almost become a global news story. Once known as Guangzhou Evergrande, the team was invincible in Asia and ranked 11th among world clubs, which is also the highest ranking for an Asian club in the world. It can be said that Guangzhou Evergrande single-handedly led Chinese football to the world. However, the news of Guangzhou FC's dissolution has also shocked many European media outlets. The Times Sport reported: "Guangzhou Evergrande, China's greatest football club, was disbanded, just like you told me that Spanish football had lost Real Madrid and Barcelona." "China's greatest football club, Guangzhou Evergrande, has been disbanded. It's as if you told me that Spanish football has lost Real Madrid and Barcelona." As we all know, Real Madrid and Barcelona are not only Spain's top clubs but also the most successful football clubs in Europe and around the world. European football emphasizes tradition and history, so Real Madrid has countless glories. England cannot exist without Manchester United and Liverpool, Italy cannot exist without Juventus, and Germany cannot lose Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. These are the symbols of a country's football. However, in the context of Chinese football, no matter how many league titles or AFC Champions League titles you have, the Football Association can easily target you. Therefore, whether it's Barcelona, Real Madrid, Boca Juniors, or River Plate, as long as they are under the system of the Chinese Football Association, they are all means for the association to make…

"If you were the head coach, would you open a back door for your own son?" In recent days, Zheng Zhi's choice has caught the attention of countless fans, with some even exclaiming, "How did Chinese football finally produce someone who understands things!" The incident began when national team assistant coach Zheng Zhi refused to give his son Zheng Zi Yi a "secret boost" during the selection process for the elite training camp for the U-07 age group. This action not only went viral among fans but also sparked a discussion within the entire Chinese football circle about "fairness" and "principles." Some argue, "What's wrong with helping your son? Throughout history, which sports star hasn't favored their children in some way?" However, others counter, "The national team has never been a place where one gets on the field based on family connections; this is the bottom line!" Amidst the differing opinions, Zheng Zhi firmly chose to stand on the side of professional ethics, winning the respect of fans with his actions. But, is this enough? In the context of the renewed Chinese football reforms, will Zheng Zhi's refusal to open a back door really make things better? Mentioning Zheng Zhi's name, it is likely that every Chinese person who loves ball sports is familiar with him. This individual, who can be described as a "living specimen" of Chinese football, has had a career spanning several important periods, from emerging from his hometown team Shandong Luneng, to becoming famous in the English Premier League with Charlton, and later joining Guangzhou Evergrande,…

On the day the transfer window opened, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) officially announced the licensing list for the domestic three-tier leagues. In fact, the licensing work began as early as November but was repeatedly delayed until the second week of January 2025 before it could be announced. This licensing list covers 49 teams, which means that among the 52 teams in the three-tier leagues, three teams are not on the list: Cangzhou Mighty Lions from the Chinese Super League (CSL), Guangzhou FC from the China League One (CLO), and Hunan Xiangtao from the China League Two (CLT). This result is both surprising and expected. After the CFA published the debt-clearing list, more than 10 players immediately reported the three clubs: Cangzhou Mighty Lions, Guangzhou FC, and Hunan Xiangtao. Although Cangzhou Mighty Lions and other teams later made a full effort to remedy the situation, and the Mighty Lions even received 60 million yuan to partially repay their debts, it has been more than one day past the CFA's deadline, and they may have missed the final licensing. After the CFA announced the list, discussions immediately unfolded in the domestic football circle. The published licensing list did not specify a public comment period and can basically be seen as the final list. At present, the three clubs have not yet responded; whether they will continue to operate or dissolve might become clear in the next few days. The failure of the three clubs to pass the licensing has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it ensures the quality…

Currently, our country places great emphasis on the three major ball sports. Overall, volleyball is the best-developed among them! After all, the Chinese women's volleyball team has won Olympic gold medals. The worst is undoubtedly football, especially men's football, with very few appearances in the Olympics. Therefore, when multiple bigwigs in Chinese football were implicated in scandals, people didn't find it surprising! However, what was unexpected is that there were also bigwigs implicated in Chinese volleyball! Recently, according to official announcements, Li Quanqiang, the former director of the Volleyball Management Center of the General Administration of Sport, is under investigation for serious violations. Obviously, Li Quanqiang is a big termite in the Chinese women's volleyball team and also a big termite in the Chinese sports world! Eliminating these big termites has made netizens cheer and rejoice! The previous Chinese football world saw a series of corruption cases! Including the Chinese Football Association (CFA) Chairman Chen Xuyuan, Vice-Chairman Du Zhaocai, Secretary-General Liu Yong, and Disciplinary Committee Director Wang Xiaoping, more than ten executives were involved. Now, it's the turn of Chinese volleyball! Will there be a series of corruption cases? Public information shows that Li Quanqiang is already 63 years old and has been retired for two and a half years! He can be considered a bigwig in Chinese volleyball. He once served as the leader of both the Chinese men's and women's volleyball teams. From 2006 to 2017, Li Quanqiang served as the deputy director of the Volleyball Management Center of the General Administration of Sport. Relying on the Chinese…

The management of naturalized players has always been a great test for managers. After all, these players have no blood ties with the country they are naturalized in. Talking about a sense of identity or patriotic enthusiasm is simply nonsense. For most naturalized players, the big stage of the World Cup is their primary need. Their market value and appearance fees are what really matter. It is rumored that some naturalized players on the Chinese national team have lost their temper. In fact, except for Jiang Guangtai, the performance of other naturalized players has been quite average. Luo Guofu, Ai Kesen, Alan, and Fernandinho - it doesn't make much difference whether they are there or not. So why bother naturalizing them? What saddens Chinese football the most is Li Ke. In January 2024, Ivan invited Li Ke to join the national team roster. However, this person directly rejected the call of the national team. If Li Ke were a native-born Chinese, would he dare to do so? The reason Li Ke rejected the call of the national team is said to be because of a grudge. In an interview with reporters, he justified himself, "After returning from winter training, I fully prepared for the national team. Throughout the Asian Cup period, the then head coach of the Chinese Football Association, Yangkovic, benched me. This experience was very unpleasant!" Is it just because of the decision made by the former head coach that this person holds a deep grudge against the Chinese national team? Even though the head coach has changed,…

The national team announced the training roster just one day ago, and someone has already announced their withdrawal from the national team. This is not the first time such an incident has occurred since Ivan took office; Ivan was also very angry upon learning about it and directly declared that he would never call up players who do not want to play for China! "He won't return to the national team because of some personal matters." Ivan confirmed during an interview that naturalized forward Fernandinho will be absent from the latest national team roster. Some journalists also revealed that Fernandinho himself does not want to return to China to play football unless the Chinese Football Association can help him find a club to play for. Obviously, in the face of such absurd demands, the Football Association will not agree. This time, Fernandinho's behavior is also unbecoming; he received so much money for his naturalization back then, yet now he doesn't even pretend anymore. Among so many naturalized players, others without blood ties are more or less willing to express some stance, whether it's Elkeson, Luo Guofu, or Alan. Now, Fernandinho is no longer pretending. This is not the first time such an incident has happened. When Ivan first joined the team, he wanted to call up veteran Wu Xi for the first training roster, but was rejected by the player himself, who stated: "I no longer have the ability to continue serving the national team." The second instance was Zhang Linpeng, who directly announced his withdrawal from the national team…

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…

Recently, a shocking news has emerged in the Chinese football world: the former Super League powerhouse Guangzhou Team announced its dissolution. The fall of this club, which created an eight consecutive championship legend in the Super League and twice lifted the AFC Champions League trophy, not only saddens many fans but also heralds the end of a glorious era in Chinese football. However, amidst this gloom, a glimmer of hope is emerging as the Chinese Football Association (CFA) may extend a helping hand to change the fate of Guangzhou Team. The glorious history of Guangzhou Team is unforgettable. At its peak, this team was considered a benchmark for Chinese football. They not only dominated the domestic arena with their undefeated record of eight consecutive Super League titles but also twice won the AFC Champions League, raising the prestige of Chinese football on the Asian stage. The team's contributions to talent cultivation and transfer are equally remarkable, having provided a large number of outstanding players to the national team, whose backbone roles still leave a deep impression today. More importantly, during its heyday, Guangzhou Team always served the overall development of Chinese football with a sense of responsibility. They took the initiative to shoulder the high salaries of world-class coaches like Fabio Cannavaro and Marcello Lippi. The arrival of these top coaches not only enhanced the international influence of the Super League but also brought advanced tactical concepts and management experience to Chinese football. It can be said that Guangzhou Team played an irreplaceable role in promoting the modernization of Chinese…

On January 9th, Beijing time, the second meeting of the 12th member congress of the Chinese Football Association was held in Beijing. The 2024 Chinese Football Association work report released at the meeting pointed out that significant progress has been made in the reform of the "separation of management and operation" in our professional league. All parties will accelerate the establishment of the Chinese Football Professional League Federation (CFLF), which has independent legal person status, and actively and steadily promote the registration of CFLF, improvement of league systems, and adjustment of operating entities. At present, the CFLF establishment plan has been submitted for approval according to procedures and is expected to be registered in Beijing before and after the Spring Festival of 2025. Authorized by the Chinese Football Association, it will mainly be responsible for the organization and commercial operations of the three-level professional league. These business projects originally managed by the Football Association will be separated. With the confirmed establishment of the CFLF, the "separation of management and operation" in Chinese football, after thirty-six years, has finally taken another solid step. According to relevant data, as early as 1989, during the preliminary stage of the professionalization reform of Chinese football, the Chinese Football Association proposed the suggestion of entity establishment, which later became known as "separation of management and operation". In the early days of the professionalization of Chinese football, the main focus of the "non-separation of management and operation" was on the "Chinese Football Sports Management Center," which evolved from the original division-level unit, the National Physical Education…