Reporter Wang Wei reported that on December 22, 2021, Cao Yang put on the suit he wore at his son's wedding ceremony a few years ago, this day, has a special significance, in the afternoon, Meizhou Hakka team in Wuhua County Stadium and Kunshan team in the 2021 season of the final round of the Chinese League A match, as long as the Kunshan team to get 1 point, Meizhou Hakka can rush to overtake. As the general manager of Meizhou Hakka Football Club, Cao Yang has watched the team miss two super match points before, and he hopes that the suit can bring some good luck and make the 2021 season a happy result.
Meizhou Hakka and Kunshan team match is indeed unforgettable, the 95th minute, the final whistle will sound immediately, Meizhou Hakka team is still 0-1 behind Kunshan team, another field, Zhejiang team 2-1 lead Wuhan three towns, if the game ends according to this score, it is The Zhejiang team that rushes to overtake. At this moment, Gui Hong kicked the world wave, and the ball hung directly in the upper left corner of the Kunshan team's goal. 1-1, Meizhou Hakka team rushed to overtake! Wuhua, Meizhou, Guangdong, became the first county-level city to have a top team in the Chinese Super League.
"I say to myself, our relegation road starts on January 4 (the end of the 2021 Chinese Super League season)!" Cao Yang said that the team must stay in the Chinese Super League in the new season, and if the new season implements home and away games, the club will implement double home, "We will choose Wuhua and Meixian District as the home stadium." "Cao Yang hopes that under the leadership of the Meizhou Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, the club will complete the share reform as soon as possible." Meizhou Hakka is a Chinese Super League team in Meizhou, and at the same time a Chinese Super League team of the people of Guangdong, and also hopes that enterprises from all walks of life in Guangdong will support this team of Guangdong's children. ”
◆ "Football": Congratulations to the Meizhou Hakka team for its success in overtaking. This is the first top league team in the history of Meizhou football, what is the special significance for Meizhou, the hometown of football?
Cao Yang: I think the success of the Meizhou Hakka team has two significances. First of all, in the current football environment, it is not easy for a club like ours with low investment to rush to the Chinese Super League; second, if there are more county-level cities like Wuhua that have teams in the top league and second-tier leagues, it is very meaningful to the promotion of football. Meizhou Hakka team rushed to succeed, the people of the whole country know that the county-level city of Wuhua County has a Chinese Super League team, and meizhou, the hometown of football, has the first domestic top league team. The social repercussions of Meizhou Hakka Chong Chao's success are enormous, not only enhancing the influence and popularity of Meizhou City and Wuhua County, but also inspiring the confidence of the people of Meizhou and Wuhua, the hometown of football.
◆ In the 2021 season of the Chinese League A, Meizhou Hakka team performed very well, especially in the third stage of the game to maintain a very high winning rate, there was a chance to rush over, at that time the outside world was also speculating, Meizhou Hakka will rush to overtake, when did the club decide to rush to overtake?
In the 2020 season, Meizhou Hakka team won the fifth place in the Chinese League One, and at the beginning of the 2021 season, I proposed to the team on behalf of the club to go further than the 2020 season, with the goal of entering the top four. We did a good job in the first three phases of the 2021 season, moving forward according to the set goals of the season, and we did not fall out of the top two in the points ranking throughout the season. In this situation, in the middle of the third stage of the 2021 season, that is, after the fourth round of the third stage of the game won 3-1 against Suzhou Dongwu, it was decided to adjust the goal to rush to the top.
◆ "Football": After entering the fourth stage of the game, the game against Chengdu and Wuhan lost the game, and successively missed the opportunity to rush ahead of time, there were some state fluctuations, how did the team adjust at that time?
Cao Yang: First of all, this ups and downs is normal, we had the purpose of rushing at that time, and it was normal to lose in the direct confrontation with Chengdu Rongcheng and Wuhan three towns, these two teams are indeed very strong in terms of staffing, investment and overall strength of the team, even Kunshan team, Guizhou team, every opponent is very strong, so I think it is normal to miss the opportunity to rush ahead of time. At that time, our mentality was to fight until the last moment, although we only needed to score 1 point in the last three games to rush over, but I repeatedly asked the players, no matter what happened, to persevere and encourage them to carry it in difficult times.
◆ When the team has continuously missed the opportunity to rush ahead of time, there is a voice from the outside world saying that Meizhou Hakka does not want to rush overtaking?
In the third stage, the fourth game of the ball, our idea of rushing to the top has been very firm, playing the last game, fighting to the last person, we are also very determined to achieve the goal of overtaking.
◆ The top four of the Chinese First Division have all successfully surpassed, does it mean that the gold content of the Chinese First Division has increased?
Yes, the top four in the Chinese League A are very good in terms of team stability and investment, and with the rush of Zhejiang and Chengdu, the top four of the Chinese First Division are finally rushed to the Chinese Super League. Wuhan three towns, Meizhou Hakka, Chengdu Rongcheng, Zhejiang, these four teams in the 34 rounds of competition in the Chinese League A is very fierce competition, Meizhou Hakka team rushed to succeed, I am proud of the club, for the players, for the team.
◆ After Gui Hong read the second goal and the team decided to rush to the top, the investors, you and all the coaches were very excited, how long did you wait for this moment?
The last minute goal was our most exciting moment. At this moment, everyone is looking forward to it, working together to turn this expectation into reality, and the platform of the top league in the Chinese Super League is different from the Chinese First Division.
◆ "Football": In the process of rushing, what are some particularly memorable details?
Cao Yang: At the beginning of the 2021 season, I instilled in the team the idea that we must achieve the top four results, and only if the results have been in the top four can we achieve overtaking. Another point is that throughout the year, our whole team has performed well, which is also the most memorable for me. In terms of team execution, everyone is doing it with this goal. We have been working together since the season preparation period, and I think that the completion of the overtaking is the result of the joint efforts of the whole team of the club, only in this way can we achieve the success of the overtaking, and everyone in the whole team has been working hard and struggling for this moment from beginning to end.
◆ Mr. Wei Jinping, an investor of Meizhou Hakka Club, has invested in football in Wuhua for 9 years, which is very rare and not easy, in your eyes, what is the feeling that investors have always insisted on investing in football?
He is an entrepreneur who loves football and loves his hometown. His dedication to football and dedication to his hometown have been highly recognized by all sectors of society in Meizhou City and Wuhua County.
◆ Have you communicated with investors after the success of the super league, how to build this Chinese Super League team in the hometown of football next?
I have been communicating with investors, in fact, the mentality of investors is the same as mine, after rushing to the Chinese Super League, we must work hard, through our work so that the team can stay in the Chinese Super League. Then if you want to stay in the Chinese Super League, you must strengthen the team and improve the overall ability of the team. For the team's work, we are used to starting early, preparing early, and I say to myself, our relegation road started on January 4 (the end of the 2021 Chinese Super League season), and we have started this work.
◆ "Football": You have been in Meizhou Hakka for 9 years, founded this team, Ye Xiquan, chairman of the Guangdong Football Association, said that this team has developed step by step, which can be called a clear stream of professional football. What goals did you set for this team nine years ago and how much have you achieved now?
Cao Yang: When the investors of Meizhou Hakka Club and I got together and formed this club, the idea at that time was to rush to the top as soon as possible, and in the third year of the formation of the club, we rushed to the middle league, and nine years later we rushed to the Chinese Super League. First of all, I am very grateful to the investors for their trust in me, it is his persistence that has the current Meizhou Hakka, with his persistent investment, through our efforts to make Meizhou Hakka achieve the goal of overtaking, as a county-level city, a low-cost investment team rushed to the Chinese Super League.
Second, we have also done a very good job in youth training, in terms of men's football, we have undertaken most of the tasks of the Provincial Games of Meizhou Sports Bureau, including the promotion of the entire city's business card, including the completion of Wuhua Hengpi Football Town, hosting various competitions, which are our club's down-to-earth progress.
Of course, the goal is too far and too high for us to think, we are really down-to-earth moving forward, and the development of the club is still very satisfied. In fact, we also have very difficult times in this process, but we must insist on moving forward no matter what.
◆ As a new army in the Chinese Super League, it will definitely face new challenges, what difficulties must be solved for clubs and teams? The investment of Chinese Super League clubs will be higher, what are the thoughts on the sustainable development of clubs?
I hope that the Meizhou Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government will support our work after the Meizhou Hakka team rushed to the Chinese Super League and lead the shareholding system transformation of Meizhou Hakka Football Club. As a County-level city's Chinese Super League team competing with the Chinese Super League team in a municipality directly under the central government and provincial capital city, the difficulties faced by Meizhou Hakka Football Club are really huge, so my biggest hope is that the shareholding system reform can be completed as soon as possible.
Meizhou Hakka team is not a person, not an investor alone, nor the general manager I alone, Meizhou Hakka is a team of the Hakka people of Meizhou City, I hope that all sectors of society will care about him, support him, in the government-led share reform as soon as possible to achieve, we are encouraged by all aspects, under the support, I am also very confident that the club can develop healthily and sustainably.