Lopes said Taiwan’s situation with soccer was similar to Brazil’s with volleyball 16 years ago, when the volleyball team was simply no match to more experienced teams from China, the US or Australia.
However, with help from the government and corporations, volleyball is now the second most important sport in Brazil, he said. The women’s national volleyball team won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, while the men’s team won the silver. Both men’s and women’s teams are currently ranked No. 1 in the world by the International Volleyball Federation.
He said both South Korea and Japan faced the same problems with soccer years ago, but eventually the sport gained momentum in both countries because “somebody had a dream.”
“I have a dream [for soccer in Taiwan],” he said. “In the last game you played against South Korea, you were beaten 2-0. After more practice, more training, you can beat them with a score of 4-2.”
The three will stay in Taiwan for at least another year and all have expressed a willingness to renew their contracts. People in Taiwan are very friendly, they said.
Just as the interview was about to wrap up, Villibor and Ribeiro showed clips they had found on YouTube about the “Soccer Hoopla” in Brazil — fans dancing and singing to cheer their favorite teams, or crying in disbelief when their team loses.
“I hope, Taiwan, one day, I hope,” Vilibor said, pointing at the screen. “It’s possible if every player can fight like Taiwan’s taekwondo fighter” Su Li-wen (蘇麗文).
Taiwan is ranked 173nd by FIFA.
The CTFA intends to have a professional soccer league by 2018, with six professional teams. The number of professional soccer teams is expected to grow to 12 by 2028. By 2038, Taiwan wants to be one of the top 32 countries in the world competing for the World Cup.
Readers interested in contributing to the “Taiwan Football Dream” project can visit the Web site at taiwanfootballdream.ctfa.com.tw/.
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