Nie Weiping: Chinese Football Has Deteriorated Beyond Imagination, Losing Even to Vietnam and Thailand

Recently, renowned Chinese Go player Nie Weiping once again touched upon the topic of Chinese football during an interview, stating that current Chinese football has “deteriorated beyond imagination.”

Nie Weiping commented on the national football team, saying, “If our football players could look up and see the entire football field while on the pitch, their performance would improve by several levels. Currently, they always keep their heads down, never looking at the overall situation. That’s why I’ve always suggested that Chinese football should learn from Go, to improve their own little technical skills a bit.”

“Back when Rong Zhihang was part of the national team, it was the closest we ever got to qualifying for the World Cup, some might even say we had already qualified, but Saudi Arabia orchestrated a situation where they deliberately lost to New Zealand by five goals in their capital, Riyadh. The strength of Chinese football back then was nothing like what it is now; at least we wouldn’t lose 0-5 at home (to Thailand).

“We had such great players back then, like Liu Lifu, Shen Xiangfu, Gu Guangming, etc., that national team was full of promise. I watched many of their brilliant matches and still get immersed in nostalgia thinking about them. Now, Chinese football loses even to Vietnam and Thailand; it’s unacceptable. Chinese football has deteriorated to an unimaginable extent.”