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.
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