"Shaolin Soccer", "Football Thugs"
Last month, the Chinese football world was in turmoil after striker Wei Shihao (Wuhan Three Town) kicked Xuan Manh (Hanoi FC) in the face during an AFC Champions League match. After the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) imposed a three-match suspension on Wei Shihao, the Chinese press called for a heavier punishment for the striker.
However, Wei Shihao's violent behavior was not enough to be a wake-up call for the Chinese players. It was as if nothing had happened. Yesterday (November 29), the Zhejiang players "forgot" all the condemnation, and rushed into a fierce brawl with Buriram United, also in the AFC Champions League.
In just a short time, the problem of violence in Chinese football has been mentioned repeatedly, even at a higher level (Zhejiang Club's violence on a collective level). It is an indelible pain for the Chinese people.
As 163 asserts: "The violence not only causes personal consequences but also greatly damages the image of Chinese football." The newspaper continues to emphasize: "The players' poor professional ethics have overshadowed efforts to develop Chinese football."
The South Korean press once called the Chinese Olympic team the "Shaolin Soccer Team", referring to the foul play of their opponents at the 19th Asian Games (held in China). Even the country's press has repeatedly condemned "football thugs" for the escalating violence in the Chinese soccer tournament.
Sadly, this violence does not come from individuals, but from the whole system (starting from youth football). In 2018, Sohu newspaper condemned the escalating situation of "playing football with fists" at the youth level.
At a youth soccer tournament in Beijing that year, players repeatedly chased and beat up the referee after a penalty was awarded. CCTV reporter Liu Siyuan exclaimed: "With such violent teenagers, where will Chinese soccer go?"
Wei Shihao kicks Xuan Manh in the face in the AFC Champions League (Photo: Fandom Owker).
In the stands, fans are always ready to "add fuel to the fire" with their hot heads. In the second round of the Chinese national championship this season, player Sun Qinhan (Cangzhou Lions) received a whole bottle of water from a Chengdu Rongcheng fan.
Then, in the third round, the female reporter was surrounded by fans of Qingdao Hainiu and Beijing Guoan. She was subjected to constant insults and had to be escorted off the field. Also in this round, Dalian fans "threw" racist words at striker Filipe (Chengdu Rongcheng).
The problem of violence is like a "malicious virus" that is spreading easily and gradually corroding the efforts to develop Chinese football. Reporter Yuwen of Boxun pointed out two important problems that are holding back football in the country of a billion people: "violence and match-fixing".
The problem of violence: The more you put it out, the more it burns fiercely
"Who will be responsible for the violence in Chinese football?", no less than 10 articles have asked this question in the past few years. That shows the seriousness of the problem. Sohu admits: "Extinguishing football violence in China is an extremely difficult task".
It’s not that Chinese football officials haven’t taken action to stop it. In 2010, they launched a campaign to “fight the gang storm” in Chinese football. However, the situation only calmed down for a short time, before it flared up again.
Zhejiang players fight with Buriram United (Thailand). (Photo: Siam Sport).
The Chinese Football Association has previously imposed heavy penalties on "thugs". Two players, Wang Chi and Huang Chao, were suspended for eight months for attacking a referee in the Chinese second division in 2013. Or Shenzhen team official Guo Xiaofeng was banned from football activities for ten months for pushing a referee.
The highest was Zhao Shitong (Tianjin) who was banned for life and 8 other Tianjin players were suspended from 3-5 years for participating in a group fight and hitting the referee in a match in 2009.
However, all of this is still aimed at individuals. After receiving heavy penalties, most of the players chose to retire. And then, the "toxic virus" of football violence continued to spread throughout Chinese football.
Wei Shihao’s case is worth mentioning. Before kicking Xuan Manh in the face, this player had received two heavy penalties this year for his unprofessional behavior. In July, this player was suspended for 6 matches by the Chinese Football Association for insulting the referee. After returning, Wei Shihao continued to be fined for his bad behavior on the field.
However, what surprised many people was that Wei Shihao still started in the two matches of the Chinese team in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup against Thailand and South Korea recently. Is the Chinese public's condemnation of Wei Shihao meaningless?
Many Chinese players received heavy penalties but the root of the problem has not been resolved (Photo: Sohu).
Former referee Ma Chao once admitted that he was very scared every time he officiated matches in the Chinese league. He was forced to defend himself: "I always control the match closely. As long as there is physical contact between players, I will blow the whistle. If there is a reaction, I will make up an excuse to protect the safety of the players." Referee Ma Chao admitted that his constant blowing of the whistle reduced the quality of the match, but at least it kept him safe on the field.
"Who is responsible?", perhaps the Chinese press will find it difficult to find an answer. The situation of football violence is still spreading in this country's football village. More penalties may continue to be issued in the future. But solving the root of the problem is still a difficult problem.
It's not that the country of a billion people can't find 11 good players. The problem is, how do they put an end to problems like football violence and match-fixing so they can develop their resources and rise up.
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