The Sports Administration failed to supervise the national soccer association (CTFA), which unexpectedly terminated a long-term training program for the women’s national team and has not paid players their appearance fees for almost a year, the Taiwan Women’s Football Player Association wrote on Facebook on Monday.
Players were training for an East Asian Football Federation championship at the end of this month after their unsuccessful qualifying campaign for next year’s Paris Olympics, the union said.
However, the CTFA on Thursday last week told players and coaches that the long-term training plan for the women’s team, which began in 2021, had ended on Nov. 3, the post said.
Photo courtesy of coaching staff
Player subsidies were also terminated, it said.
“Because of the CTFA’s negligence, we have to suspend our training and we have not received our appearance fees since January,” it said.
New Power Party Chairwoman Claire Wang (王婉諭) said that the CTFA has not submitted a training plan to the National Sports Training Center, despite repeated reminders, which led to the training program being ended.
This and other issues makes the CTFA one of Taiwan’s worst sports associations, Wang said.
“The CTFA’s arrogance and disregard of the women’s national team is a result of the Sports Administration’s failure to act,” she said. “The government agency should use its National Sports Act (國民體育法) powers to oversee the CTFA’s operations. Instead, it continues to support it.”
The Sports Administration yesterday said in a statement that it continues to support the program, as it enabled the team to play in a qualifying tournament for this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
CTFA chairman Wang Lin-hsiang (王麟祥) visited the Sports Administration after confirming that the team had not qualified for the Olympics, it said, adding that he had sought assistance from the Sports Administration and the National Sports Training Center to support the team’s coach.
Sports Administration Director-General Cheng Shih-chung (鄭世忠) asked the CTFA to invite its teams to discuss plans to prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
“However, there seemed to be some misunderstandings during the CTFA’s meeting with teams on Thursday last week,” the Sports Administration said.
“We are now helping the CTFA quickly submit training plans for the Asian Games and other international championships,” it said.
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
REPORT: Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining loitering munitions matching the AeroVironment Switchblade 300 or the Anduril Altius-600, ‘Foreign Policy’ said Taiwan is seeking US-made kamikaze drones in an apparent concession to pressure from Washington to focus on asymmetric capabilities to defeat or deter a Chinese attack, Foreign Policy said in a report on Wednesday. Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munitions or other devices with similar capabilities, it said, citing four sources familiar with the matter commenting on condition of anonymity. The Switchblade 300 is a tube-launched drone designed for attacking ground troops, while its larger sibling, the Switchblade 600, could be used to destroy tanks and entrenched troops. Ukraine has utilized both systems extensively in its fight against
Police officers yesterday morning apprehended the prime suspect of a triple homicide case, after raiding the suspect’s hideout in Taichung. They transported the suspect to New Taipei City for questioning and recorded his statement last night. The suspect, identified as a 24-year-old man surnamed Chang (張), is believed to have used his hands to strangle his wife, surnamed Chen (陳), 29, along with his three-year-old son from a previous marriage and his wife’s mother, 69. The three dead bodies were wrapped in blankets when they were discovered inside their apartment in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) on Saturday. Chang was holding a
STRIKING A BALANCE: A nutritionist said that only 9 percent of respondents were concerned whether they had a sufficient balance of vegetables and fruits Nearly 60 percent of respondents said that they are affected physically and mentally due to lack of a regular breakfast routine, while only 9 percent ate a balanced diet, a Formosa Cancer Foundation survey showed. Thirty percent of respondents do not eat breakfast at home, saying it is more expedient to buy it, said Hsu Kuei-ting (徐桂婷), the foundation’s nutritionist, citing its most recent poll on nutritional intake for people aged 20 to 60. The poll showed that 60 percent believe they do not eat breakfasts that have balanced nutrition. At 62 percent, convenience was the most commonly cited factor in deciding whether