Chinese football's goal must be reform

The government must reform football, said an article in the Southern Metropolis Daily (excerpts below).

The shameful 5-1 home loss to Thailand last month in Hefei, Anhui province has boosted the government's determination to reform its oversight of football.

The "professional" league format started in 1994. There is no civil football association, but a government department called the football administration center affiliated to the General Administration of Sports.

Some of the center's officials are ignorant of football and treat their work as any other governmental work.

Hot money flooding in to the league corrupted players and officials alike.

Few parents are willing to send their children to declining football schools.

The operation of the national team is also a mess. Dozens of foreign coaches have been fired from the post in the past decade. Few would like to repeat their short work experience in China again.

Chinese clubs tend to buy players from abroad to win games. Few clubs like investing in training or nurturing their own young talent.

For football to have any future in this country, the way it is governed and structured must be overhauled.