Category: Football

In the afternoon I went shopping and happened to see groups of parents waiting outside the football ground for their daughters to finish training. This is not a common scene, as schools here are usually very close to where people live, but Norrköping only has one training ground, which is also the field for the adult teams.

I have just heard that Chinese footballer Afrden Asqer has ended his loan contract with Mjällby AIF early and has not played any official matches. Although Samuel Adegbenro, the Allsvenskan’s former top scorer, had a disappointing season with Beijing Guoan, the number of Chinese players who can really break into the Swedish league can probably be counted on one hand.

Among my footballing friends who play together at the weekends is a father and son. The son, about ten years old, trains in Norrköping. His every move is much more sensible than others, and soon he probably won’t play with us anymore. For the kids who play football here, it can be a lifelong hobby, even if they don’t become professionals.

Originally, I thought I could return to the scene when the Chinese players arrived in September. The appeal of the Nordic teams is not their overall level of skill, but their steady development system. As for when they will produce another genius like Ibrahimovic or Haaland, it’s probably not something that can be “planned”.

In an interview with Lifeweek Magazine, Yao Ming, the president of the Chinese Basketball Association, pointed out a fundamental issue within the Chinese basketball community: its closed nature. He suggested that what’s needed is a more diverse environment. And it seems, Chinese football is no exception to this rule.

Having worked as a translator for a professional football team for three months, I had the unique opportunity to observe the ecosystem of Chinese football from an outsider’s perspective. An amusing incident occurred during the preseason when the team was taking a group photo. Only the foreign fitness coach and I were wearing glasses at the time. The team leader asked me to remove mine and conveyed the same request to the foreign coach in German. However, the coach pretended not to understand and kept his glasses on for the photo. He later expressed his annoyance, mentioning that many excellent players abroad wear glasses, such as Edgar Davids, and he found the request unacceptable. Ironically, the team captain also wears glasses due to nearsightedness but usually opts for contact lenses.

On one hand, wearing glasses in a sports team is often perceived as lacking masculinity. On the other hand, through daily interactions, it’s apparent that many Chinese coaches view those who wear glasses as intellectuals, fundamentally different from themselves. This explains the insistence on removing glasses for the team photo. In an environment that is not just closed but also somewhat anti-intellectual, transitioning from player to coach while trying to maintain a broad perspective and vision proves to be exceedingly difficult. Naturally, reaching a certain level of authority might allow one to bend these perceived realities.

Updated on February 28, 2024