A top Chinese soccer official has urged FIFA to realize the “dream” of Chinese fans by bringing the World Cup to the nation in 2030 — or even sooner.
Chinese Football Association vice president Zhang Jian said FIFA’s rotation policy probably ruled out a return to Asia in 2026, with Qatar hosting the World Cup in 2022.
Zhang told reporters that “it’s not very easy” for China to hold the World Cup in 2026, but said the final decision was up to world body FIFA.
“Every Chinese football fan has a dream — to host a World Cup in China,” Zhang said in an interview in Goa, India, where an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) extraordinary congress was cut short on Tuesday.
“According to their charter it’s not very easy for us to get 2026... I of course hope it can be here sooner, but FIFA has their charter and we follow their decisions,” Zhang said.
Russia is to host the next World Cup in 2018, before Qatar in 2022, with China, the world’s most populous nation and second-biggest economy, keen to follow soon after.
With Chinese President Xi Jinping eager to host and even win soccer’s biggest tournament, conjecture is centering on when, rather than if, the World Cup will go to China.
Hosting the World Cup looks far more realistic than winning the competition, as China’s sole appearance in 2002 ended without a single point or even a goal.
China are currently ranked 78th, sandwiched between St Kitts and Nevis, and Guatemala, although they remain in the running to reach Russia 2018.
Zhang could be in line for a powerful voice in FIFA, as he is standing for a seat on the body’s new council, which has replaced the scandal-prone executive committee.
The AFC on Tuesday canceled elections to the council in protest at FIFA’s decision to bar a Qatari candidate. A reorganized poll is expected early next year.
Chinese soccer has made huge strides in recent years, owing to the rise of its domestic league, whose lavishly financed clubs are attracting top players and managers.
Chinese Super League clubs have spent just over 400 million euros (US$447 million) on players this year, luring stars like Liverpool’s Alex Teixeira.
Zhang said the Chinese Super League now wanted to reach the level of the top divisions of Europe, which remain the world’s leading competitions.
“We have attracted a lot of players to the Chinese Super League and companies have invested so much money,” he said.
Zhang was also confident that China’s growing legion of foreign players would help the national team, rather than hinder the development of home-grown talent.
“China’s national team is a problem,” Zhang said. “Obviously we haven’t been very good over the past few years, but the Super League is a very important base for the national team and you can notice we’re trying to build our national team better.”
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