South China Morning Post
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China’s players walk onto the pitch at the start of their group A first-round match against India at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, in Zhejiang province, on September 19. China has focused on ridding the sport of corruption, with little attention paid to how its football performance can be improved. Photo: Xinhua
Opinion
Chee Yik-wai
Chee Yik-wai

To achieve its football goals, scandal-hit China can learn from Japan

  • From its 1991 low point, Japan has rebuild its local league, focusing on clean governance, youth development and a long-term vision: World Cup victory by 2092
Chee Yik-wai
Chee Yik-wai
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Plagued by corruption and unpaid wages scandals, China’s football scene hit a new low recently as fans withdrew their support after the national team’s embarrassing draw against a much lower-ranked Malaysia in a friendly game. Clearly, reforms are needed if China is to keep its 2026 World Cup dream alive – after failing to qualify for more than 20 years.
The focus so far has been on ridding the sport of corruption with little attention paid to how China’s football performance can be improved. Partnerships, including the high-profile 2016 deal with Germany, have clearly yielded little and the effectiveness of coaches from Argentina, announced last year, remains unknown.

By contrast, neighbouring Japan and South Korea recorded impressive results in the Qatar World Cup last year. In particular, Japan, the top-ranking Asian football nation, has beaten two former World Cup champions: Spain (in the World Cup) and Germany (in a friendly). Many Chinese wonder why Chinese football has fallen so far behind. Perhaps the Japanese experience can offer lessons.

In 1991, Japanese football was at its lowest point, arguably where Chinese football is now. It decided to establish a professional league with the sole aim of making it successful and sustainable. Similar to the Chinese Super League, the J-League started out with deep-pocket funding from corporations hungry for imported talent such as Brasil’s Zico and England’s Gary Lineker. Even Arsene Wenger, who went on to coach Arsenal, had a stint in Japan.

Within three years, Japan’s international rankings had improved and crowds averaged nearly 20,000 at every game. But Japan’s economic slump in the 1990s, in what became known as the “lost decade”, tested the J-League’s strength and sustainability.

The Japan Football Association started to focus more on the long term, with an ambitious plan to restructure the league for 100 full-time clubs (there are currently 60) and a World Cup victory by 2092.

Japan supporters celebrate in Tokyo’s Shibuya area on December 2, after Japan beat Spain 2-1 to advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup in Doha, Qatar. Photo: Kyodo

The strategy has paid off and public interest in the game has been revived, particularly after the country co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with South Korea. By 2030, according to former J-League chairman Mitsuru Murai, Japan wants to be among the world’s top four leagues.

But what sets the J-League apart is its robust focus on youth development – something the newly launched China Youth Football League can learn from.

Every J-League club must be committed to developing youth talent and have under-15 and under-18 sides. The first team must include at least two home-grown players and one under 21. Club with greater success in developing young players attract more funds.

This approach ensures clubs are encouraged to get more youngsters into the sport – an aspect absent in Chinese football. It also means J-League clubs form partnerships with local, smaller companies and grass-roots academies to promote the sport to youngsters, encouraging participation and attracting spectators.

02:09

Bending norms: Japan's first woman to referee a top men's J-League football match

Bending norms: Japan's first woman to referee a top men's J-League football match
This translates to a high average attendances of around 21,000 spectators per game in 2019 before the pandemic hit. This compares to the Chinese Super League’s average of around 24,000, pre-Covid, in a population 11 times bigger.

The J-League also promotes good governance by not allowing any of its clubs to have a brand or company name. Companies invest understanding that they cannot manipulate their association with the club for selfish interest. This encourages clubs to take on a long-term vision and reduces the possibility of corporate corruption – an issue China’s top anti-corruption body has pledged to tackle.

The vast amount of money thrown into the Chinese Super League has had little real impact. One would be hard-pressed to name a single Chinese national playing in a top European league. If China’s best players, satisfied by the incredible financial incentives of the local league, fail to gain experience abroad, it would be a serious blow to China’s vision of becoming a world football superpower by 2050.

World Cup exit highlights ‘gap’ for China’s women’s football team

The likes of Maya Yoshida and Keisuke Honda, indispensable to Japan’s football success, were groomed in the J-League but also gained top-tier experiences abroad, including in the English Premier League.

Instead of looking to host the 2030 World Cup in an extremely politicised environment or relying on any “superhero” coach, Chinese football would benefit much more from progressively improving its domestic league, as evidenced by Japan’s J-League’s success. Without a strong and sustainable league, by locals and for locals, Chinese football is unlikely to complete its Long March towards World Cup success.

Chee Yik-wai is a Malaysia-based intercultural specialist and the co-founder of social enterprise Crowdsukan

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