Team China feels the heat in Doha

The Chinese men's soccer team is probably glad to be 6,000 kilometers away under the clear blue skies of Qatar, as the storm clouds gather back home amid the shocking revelations of corruption, which rocked the domestic game on Tuesday.

Team China is set to kick off its Asian Cup campaign on Saturday against Tajikistan after a run of lackluster performances in recent warm-up friendlies.

While the fans' interest following the sluggish build-up was already on the wane, a documentary by China Central Television has further fueled their ire, and dragged the national side into an unwanted spotlight.

On Tuesday, CCTV aired the anti-graft documentary, which exposed several scandals involving former officials of the Chinese Football Association, most notably, former national team head coach Li Tie and former CFA president Chen Xuyuan.

According to media reports, the current squad, under incumbent head coach Aleksandar Jankovic, also watched the documentary after training in Doha, undoubtedly leaving a nasty taste in the mouths of players and coaches alike. Not only does the documentary act as a klaxon warning to the risks of engaging in such behavior, but piles further pressure on the already beleaguered squad.

It has certainly been a huge body blow to the confidence of Chinese soccer fans, as it revealed, in detail, scandals including bribery among former CFA officials and match-fixing in China's professional leagues. The documentary not only made global headlines, but also generated dozens of trending topics across Chinese social media platforms.

Several related topics even topped the trending news list on social media. For example, the hashtag "Li Tie spent 3 million yuan for Team China head coach position" had been viewed over 340 million times on Weibo by Wednesday morning, with countless fans expressing their frustration and anger online.

The shocking details, including how Li bribed former CFA officials to get the position of Team China head coach, and how he selected the national team's starting XI based on his personal interests with clubs, may partially explain why Team China, for years, failed to deliver at major international tournaments.

"The corruption scandals are shocking, and with that corruption how can Chinese soccer improve? Li Tie spent 3 million yuan (about $420,000) to become Team China head coach, and he spent another 14 million yuan fixing matches in the Chinese soccer pyramid. The former CFA president Chen Xuyuan received 600 thousand yuan on his first day in the job," read a People's Daily commentary.

"This is a 'yellow card' for the soccer community. Those who are involved in corruption must be punished, and those 'goalkeepers' entrusted with care of the game will be 'shown a red' if they drop the ball."

So the question is whether the current squad is ready to pour water on the flames of public anger and frustration, fueled by these scandals, by proving itself at the Asian Cup. Is it capable of delivering a performance that will restore some gloss to the reputation of Chinese soccer?

After the opening match against Tajikistan, Team China will take on Lebanon four days later. China's last Group A match is against host Qatar on Jan 22. A total of 24 teams will compete in six groups, while the top two from each group and the four best third-place finishers will advance to the round of 16, which begins on Jan 28.

"It will be a big challenge against Qatar and I am very excited. Qatar is the defending champion. It is a good, strong team that is also the host. It now also has the experience of playing at a World Cup. So it is a big challenge for us," Jankovic told media after arriving in Doha.

"Our preparations were very good in Abu Dhabi. It was two weeks of good and useful training. All the players are very motivated and excited to be here. We have picked both young and experienced players. This team is growing up so we see this entire competition as a challenge and we are very motivated to play well.

"Our goal is to give a strong showing in the group stage, despite the difficulty of the task as we face teams with great experience."

Team China secured two victories against local club teams and suffered defeats to Oman and Hong Kong, China, in Abu Dhabi during its four friendlies ahead of the Asian Cup. According to media reports, Jankovic made strict training plans, especially focused on fitness, for his players during the entire preparation and stressed discipline to the team.

Speaking of the current condition of the squad, the Serbian head coach told media that, at the start of the training camp, the players were at different levels of form, as they had different professional league schedules. However, the head coach is confident that his players are ready for the challenges ahead, as they have adjusted as much as possible.

In terms of the defeats in the friendlies, Jankovic said that no one liked to lose and his team made a comprehensive analysis of the defeats. The information the team gained from the friendlies is valuable for it to improve. Most importantly, he noted, was that the team is confident of securing victory against Tajikistan.

Team China has reached the final of the tournament twice in 1984 and 2004, while its last two Asian Cup outings ended in the quarterfinals.

"After arriving in Doha, Team China started training that afternoon. The current national squad is facing a challenging task, under huge pressure. Before Doha, Team China stayed in Abu Dhabi for 20 days and played four friendlies. The two victories were secured against weak, club-level opposition, but the two defeats were to teams competing at the Asian Cup," read a People's Daily commentary.

"For the Chinese squad, the bottom line is to at least emerge from the group stage, and that was the goal head coach Jankovic set out publicly ... Right now, Team China is facing a huge amount of difficulty and numerous challenges. At this point, the best way to survive is to just focus on the team itself."