Officials and coaches yesterday met at the legislature in Taipei to push for a national plan to develop soccer, with the goal of Taiwan making it into the quadrennial FIFA World Cup finals in the future.
Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) secretary-general Chiu Yi-wen (邱奕文) attended the public hearing and said it would require strong commitment by the government and a “big engineering project” for Taiwan to be competitive in international soccer.
“However, in the past all we got were slogans, grandiose concepts and empty promises,” Chiu said.
The hearing was organized by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智), who represents the Datong (大同) and Shilin (士林) districts in Taipei.
Yao said he wants to see Taiwan improve its FIFA world ranking of 178 out of 207 nations and that Taiwan could learn from near neighbor Japan, or Costa Rica, which is a small country, but its national team had a successful run in the World Cup finals in Brazil.
“Japan has a national plan, with a pledge to win the World Cup in 2050. We should get details of their plan and take a look at the proposed actions and programs. We could then set these up and achieve the same success as Japan,” Yao said.
Chao Yung-jui (趙榮瑞), a sports management professor and a veteran soccer coach, criticized the officials attending the hearing.
“Our government had the wrong approach and wrong policy on soccer all along,” Chao said.
“There was no vision or long-term planning. Just look at Zhongshan Soccer Stadium: It was Taiwan’s only FIFA-approved ground for international games. The Taipei City Government ‘borrowed’ it for the 2010 Flora Expo and they never gave it back. Now the city plans to build a youth hostel complex and a creative culture park there. We must ask the city government to give the stadium back to the soccer community,” Chao added.
Kao Yung (高庸), and elder statesman of Taiwanese soccer and a Women’s Asian Cup-winning coach, said we can learn from the success of Germany, where they have widespread public participation, with support from industries and local governments from the grassroots and amateur levels all the way to the professional leagues.
“Soccer is the most suitable game for Asians, with no need for a big body size and height. Lionel Messi is only at 169cm, so almost anyone can play the game. It is also very economical, because soccer can be played in many places, in small indoor rooms or on the street,” Kao said.
Broadcaster Max Shih (石明謹) said things must change.
“Many people are dedicated to the game, in their roles as coaches, players, public officials, sports journalists, academics and business sponsors. All have their resources, but they are working on their own. We must overcome the differences, collaborate and integrate to produse a national soccer infrastructure, to work toward the same goals,” Shih said.
Most attendees agreed that the government should convene a “National Conference for Soccer Development” in the near future and implement a long-term program to enhance the nation’s competitiveness.
They also called for more sponsorship from large conglomerates to help establish a professional league in Taiwan.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS