National soccer association the CTFA was rocked by more turmoil this week with the resignations of its technical director and other top officials.
CTFA secretary-general George Chao (趙士強) and technical director Chen Liang-chen (陳亮辰) resigned on Monday, which is expected to be formally approved today during a CTFA board meeting.
The meeting would also decide on other top officials’ resignations and whether to start the filling the vacant posts.
Photo: CNA
CTFA chairman Wang Lin-hsiang (王麟祥) last month said he would tender his resignation at the board meeting, after Taiwan were beaten by Thailand 6-1 on Oct. 14, eliminating Taiwan from qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Some insiders said that announcement was a ruse, as Wang has made moves to retain his job and believed he would have enough votes during the meeting to stay on, while others said the people resigning are “sacrificial lambs” taking the fall for the recent turmoil in the CTFA.
The string of resignations has sports experts and fans worried.
Taiwan men’s national squad head coach Gary White quit in May — although some people said he was dismissed or that the CTFA did not renew his contract — after a string of defeats in preliminary rounds of the qualifiers for the World Cup and the Asian Cup.
Taiwan women’s national squad head coach Chan Hiu-ming (陳曉明) in August announced he was resigning, citing unfulfilled promises of support and resources from the CTFA, which the team needs to prepare for the AFC Asian Cup.
Chan was credited with improving the team’s performance at the international qualifiers.
The CTFA said Chan would remain until the end of the year, when his contract ends.
National squad director Chen Wen-fa (陳文發) and techical director Mehmet Fatih Kale both resigned in May, after less than four months on the job.
Several association deputy secretaries-general were also dismissed after Taiwan’s losses at international qualifiers and the cancelation of friendly matches with the New Zealand women’s national team due to unsafe pitch conditions at a stadium.
Fans and the sports community demanded that the CTFA and Wang take responsibility for the national squad’s elimination from the qualifiers, while players and coaching staff pointed to disarray and mismanagement in the CTFA.
After the 6-1 defeat to Thailand, Taiwan head coach Huang Che-ming (黃哲明) announced he was quitting, effective immediately, to take responsibility for the loss.
Huang, who was in charge for only two months, told reporters that the CTFA did not provide enough support for the national squad.
The team had little resources and no proper training pitch to prepare for international matches, he said.
As for replacements, soccer manager Matt Ross has been appointed as the new head coach of the Taiwan men’s national team.
Ross most recently headed the Nepal national team.
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