On March 19th, Beijing time, the famous CCTV host Bai Yansong had an exclusive interview with Chen Xuyuan, Chairman of the Chinese Football Association.
The following is the transcript of the exclusive interview (question = Bai Yansong):
asked: Fan Zhiyi complained about basketball, what do you think?
Chen Xuyuan: Chinese football has received a lot of criticism over the years. The reason is that it is lagging behind, and those who fall behind will be beaten. The most important thing is to do our own thing well. Chinese football can bring happiness to the people, and everyone will definitely support Chinese football. Therefore, we need to do our own thing well.
asked: Why does Chinese Super League start on April 20th?
Chen Xuyuan: After last season ended, we started preparing for the new season. The new season has three characteristics. The professional league participates in the management of the league; the Chinese Super League, Chinese League One, Chinese League Two, all leagues must be played, that is, 30 rounds of the Chinese Super League; in addition, there are also changes in promotion and relegation.
In addition, it is also considered that the women's football team will finish the Olympic preliminaries on April 13 and play in Suzhou on the 13th. The women's football team will finish the Olympic preliminaries and the Chinese Super League will start again. This is also considered.
asked: Last season’s schedule was criticized, what about the new season’s schedule?
Chen Xuyuan: The league started in July last year and it was impossible to play 30 rounds. This year's work is done in advance. We have to complete 30 rounds. Last year's competition system was not ideal. This year's arrangement is to avoid last year's flaws.
asked: When it comes to military expansion, is it the best time to expand the military when the overall situation is not good?
Chen Xuyuan: The Chinese Football Association has a development plan for the entire Chinese football. The Chinese Super League will expand to 18 teams in 2023. When the professional league communicated with the Football Association this year, it said that this year it will prepare for the expansion next year.
Currently, many players should be on the court, but they cannot appear in the game because of insufficient size. The expansion of the team hopes to allow more players to appear in the game. Secondly, the expansion is for the sake of market development. 18 Chinese Super League teams are better than 16 Chinese Super League teams. From this perspective, the conditions are met.
asked: Can fans be allowed to enter the league this year?
Chen Xuyuan: Last year, fans were not allowed to enter until halfway through the league. This year, the league is open to spectators from the beginning. Relevant departments in Suzhou and Guangzhou also strongly support it. They will determine the number of fans and constantly adjust the number of fans according to the situation. .
asked: Have the players been vaccinated?
Chen Xuyuan: We are actively promoting the vaccination of club personnel and hope to complete the vaccination work before the start of the league. National teams are also promoting vaccination.
asked: Last season’s Chinese Super League champion Jiangsu team may no longer exist, and the Jinmen Tigers may also no longer exist?
Chen Xuyuan: From the perspective of access, they have problems with access. Judging from the current situation, it is difficult for the Jiangsu team to meet the access standards. The Jinmen Tigers are also facing access difficulties. We are still waiting for news. .
The Football Association and the General Administration of Sports are more concerned about these things. How should we deal with these things. It is a pity that this situation happened to the Chinese Super League champion team. I have communicated with Suning investors. Investors should consider the social responsibility of investing in football and avoid it in the future. We also need to do our best to avoid these situations.
asked: Cangzhou and Zhejiang are sure to replace the Chinese Super League?
Chen Xuyuan: Everything will be revealed when the access review is completed next week. According to the access review, everything will be revealed. We'll find out next week.
asked: Suning has stopped operations, will the Jiangsu team disappear?
Chen Xuyuan: It is almost impossible for the old Jiangsu team to participate in the Chinese Super League, but the club’s structure is still there. Of course, there are investors interested in the old Jiangsu team. Everything depends on the changes in the next few days.
asked: Why have you been delaying these decisions?
Chen Xuyuan: We must strictly control the access requirements. The second sentence is that we must support the clubs so that more clubs can overcome phased difficulties and keep the clubs in the professional league. We must consider both aspects.
asked: There are 2 teams in the Chinese Super League that are no longer playing, and there are 3 teams in the Chinese Premier League. How to deal with it?
Chen Xuyuan: Last year, 16 teams withdrew from the professional league, and this year about 6-7 teams withdrew from the professional league.From the perspective of these clubs withdrawing from the league, it is market behavior, and we must respect the market. Regardless of whether it is an investor's problem or not, we must respect it.
We need to think about how to make the club develop healthily and sustainably; the second thing we need to think about is that we need to convey a belief that investment in football is not like other investments. The commercial interests are not high, and social responsibility and image are more important. Every club Everyone has this consideration, and the temporary difficulties are not difficulties.
asked: Are gender-neutral names a reason for the club to quit?
Chen Xuyuan: The de-corporation of club names started in 2015, and the Chinese Football Association also started in 2017, but the effect is not very obvious. This matter has been talked about for 5-6 years. Why can't it be promoted? We need to think about the problems. The business of football cannot be equated with corporate investment projects, which represent city symbols. A non-corporate name is conducive to development, and the management of the club will reach a new level.
This matter is very important for the development of Chinese football.
asked: Is it a special case for Guoan to reserve its name?
Chen Xuyuan: The Chinese Football Association knows that this job is difficult to do. We have set up a special name review team. The Chinese Football Association will not comment on the name review and will review it in accordance with relevant regulations. As of now, the shares held by CITIC in Guoan are likely to be acquired by Zhonghe, just like Shenhua, and the name can continue to be used.
asked: Shanghai seaport is called SIPG for short. Is it because of you?
Chen Xuyuan: It has been two years since I left SIPG. I have no interest in the club’s affairs. Personally, I don't agree with such a name, but it was proposed by my own company, and I only listen to whether it conforms to the regulations or not. The name of the seaport was proposed by SIPG and met the requirements.
asked: Why can’t the gender-neutral reform be postponed?
Chen Xuyuan: This is already the sixth year of the gender-neutral name reform. The current situation has little to do with the gender-neutral name reform. Companies investing in football do not rely on naming to attract attention. Some media said this was the last straw for the club, but I don’t think so.
asked: What should players do if they have a yin and yang contract with the club?
Chen Xuyuan: The club engages in yin-yang contracts. Once found out, the club will be demoted and the players will be suspended. Only by strict control can the professional league be good.
asked: How bad is Jinyuan Football?
Chen Xuyuan: To attack Jinyuan Football, we must have the determination to cut off our ambitions. Under Jinyuan Football, investors will find it difficult to survive. If we do not implement the salary limit order , Chinese football will collapse in 2-3 years. We and our investors have reached an agreement that we must limit salaries.
I can say that the Chinese Super League clubs earn 700-800 million a year, and the big clubs have more than 100 million, which is not the case in the world. Our investment in the Chinese Super League is three times that of Japan, and player income is 10 times that of Japan. What is our level?
Some people are not satisfied, but for the sake of Chinese football, we must do it.
asked: Under the salary limit order, star players have to leave, the AFC Champions League results are not good, the league scene may not look good?
Chen Xuyuan: The salary limit order has been brewing since the second half of last year, and the consequences have also been considered. The reduced audience and poor results in the AFC Champions League have all been taken into consideration. But our salary limit is a bubble. After the salary limit, player salaries are still at a high level. I believe that the current salary level can still attract high-level foreign players, but it will exclude some foreign players who deviate too much from the market.
has a periodic impact, but we are still confident in the healthy growth of the league.
asked: Will the salary limit affect young players in the echelon?
Chen Xuyuan: There are indeed many problems in the club’s echelon. Many people cannot play football, and their income will definitely change. The Chinese Football Association must create more platforms for these players. We must not only pay attention to the Chinese Super League, but also pay attention to these players. This is what Chinese football has to do.
The Football Association's salary limit is not aimed at players, but to protect players.
The Chinese Football Association firmly opposes wage arrears and fully protects players who are owed wages. Now there are some clubs that do not guarantee players' contracts. The Football Association stands with the players. Wage arrears are a cancer for the development of Chinese football and must be removed.
From last year to now, the phenomenon of wage arrears is still quite serious, and we must seek justice for the players.
asked: Can the Chinese Football Association control naturalized players?
Chen Xuyuan: The Chinese Football Association can manage all professional players, including naturalized players.
asked: After the top 40 games, all four rounds will be held in China. Is it difficult to communicate?
Chen Xuyuan: We have communicated with the other four football associations, and the General Administration of Sports has done a lot of work. Letting four teams come to China to compete is due to the fact that our country is safe and our organizational skills are no problem. These factors make the other four teams feel that it is reasonable to compete in China.
I think this matter is a matter of course.
asked: Can the top 40 win all four rounds after the game?
Chen Xuyuan: The top 40 competition is a test for us. I think we have the ability to win this competition. We are fully confident in preparing for the top 40 games in the future and delivering satisfactory results.
asked: Is the women’s football Olympic preliminaries a big test?
Chen Xuyuan: The Olympic preliminaries of the women's football team are the same as the top 40 games. They are exams. The women's football team started preparing for the competition last year. Now it should be said that the entire preparation plan, the coaching staff and the Chinese Football Association have been considered. Now we are waiting for the exam. We can definitely do it well.
asked: Referee question?
Chen Xuyuan: Referees, like Chinese football, also have many problems. 1. There is a gap in the professional level of referees; 2. There are indeed bad habits in our refereeing community, including circle problems, which affect referees' decisions; 3. It cannot be said that there are no fake gambling scams that we have cracked down on in the past.
These problems have hurt Chinese football and also hurt the fans. We must learn lessons and make the league the best it can be. This year we must strengthen the legal education of referees and talk about past cases again. We need to make some things public, including penalties and reviews, so that the public can jointly supervise them.
asked: Are there any foreign referees this year?
Chen Xuyuan: We are considering introducing foreign referees in the second half of the year to make the league more fair and just.
asked: How do you view naturalized players?
Chen Xuyuan: The development of Chinese football depends on ourselves and cannot rely on naturalized players. After the salary limit, the road to some high-priced naturalized players will be blocked, but some naturalized players who meet the regulations will still come in.
asked: According to the disciplinary regulations, will club players be severely fined if they use the media to stir up trouble?
Chen Xuyuan: To prevent violence on the court, including some serious fouls, there must be a good penalty. I hope there will be a good development atmosphere among the clubs and that the clubs will not provoke unnecessary violence or unnecessary media hype. It is to create a good environment. It’s not that we don’t accept social evaluation and criticism. These criticisms are good for Chinese football in the near future.
We just hope to have a good environment and an environment that respects facts.
asked: What about players and clubs using self-media to complain?
Chen Xuyuan: We will not focus our main energy on these. Post some comments, we mainly focus on appointments, this is not the main focus.
asked: Why was the professional alliance not established?
Chen Xuyuan: The professional league team encountered difficulties in forming the team. Last year, my answers were a little hasty. The establishment of the professional league is still being promoted, the team is basically in place and will be released in the near future.
asked: Can it be established this year?
Chen Xuyuan: It must be established this year. A lot of support has been given from all aspects, and it should be our responsibility, including myself. I believe it will not be later than the first half of this year, and I hope there will be no more empty words. The
Professional League and the Football Association have made a clear division of responsibilities. Once the league is established (the league is also running a professional league now), it will be a partnership with the Football Association, and we will be the supervisor.
asked: How is youth training now?
Chen Xuyuan: Previous leaders of the Football Association have attached great importance to youth training, but the results have not been very good. This is also a question I thought about after I came to the Football Association. Youth training is related to the future. Without youth training, there is no future. We want to reach the top level in Asia in five years, but we have to think about why this goal cannot be achieved.
1. The youth training system is not easy to find. We need to find a youth training path that suits China's national conditions. We used to learn from , Brazil, , Spain, and Germany, but their success is not simply copied. I hope this path can be found soon;
2 , There are problems with the scale and methods of youth training. To do a good job in youth training, these must be done well.
asked: You can play football, how are your skills?
Chen Xuyuan: I can play football, and I will definitely be good in the 65-year-old amateur group.
asked: When will the Chinese team win the World Cup?
Chen Xuyuan: I guess it will be enough when you reach my age.
asked: Are the big-name players gone?
Chen Xuyuan: But there are more capable players coming in.
asked: You are so old, but you still do such a difficult job (Chairman of the Chinese Football Association).
Chen Xuyuan: For social responsibility, I must do something for the Football Association and Chinese football.
Frankly speaking, I have been working in the company for 46 years and I should be relatively successful. Usually I am the only one who scolds others. But after more than a year since I came to the Chinese Football Association, I have been hesitant, frustrated, hesitant, and even wanted to give up. But now I am strong and want to do this well.
asked: What do you most want to change about Chinese football?
Chen Xuyuan: Find the correct development path for Chinese football. I hope everyone will work together to find this path.
