The anti-corruption campaign in Chinese football has been underway for nearly five months, and the results have still not reached the desired state. Although the final big fish has not yet been caught, it has also made phased progress. For example, Li Tie, Chen Jiayuan, Du Zhaocai and other senior leaders were taken away for investigation. The anti-corruption incident 13 years ago ended up being caught only by the vice president of the Football Association, and it is clear that this time the crackdown has been even harder. The national football team still has games to come, but the chicken feather incident has left fans with little expectation for them in the short term. So before the matter of Li Tie and Chen Jiayuan is completely resolved, perhaps we will all be in a trough.
Judging from the latest progress in this matter, there has been a major breakthrough. The 2023 State General Administration of Sport Work Conference on Party Style, Clean Government Construction and Anti-Corruption has been held, which is mainly aimed at the notification and criticism of sports-related violations of discipline, as well as plans for future rectification work. In response to this anti-corruption work, the director of the General Administration of Sports has given important work instructions. It can be seen that he attaches great importance to this operation, and no matter who it is, it will be investigated to the end. At this meeting, Hu Guangyu, Liu Aijie, Chen Jiayuan, Yu Hongchen, Liu Yi and others made a circular criticism for their violations of law and discipline.
Judging by this move, they have been determined to be problematic and will soon face some punishment. But at this meeting, Sun Wen and Gao Hongbo were also rarely named. But they are praised, they have withstood the pressure of work and dedication, and they have held their last threshold. And without bowing to other forces, they did not go astray, they are one of the few clean and good leaders in Chinese football.
In fact, compared with Chen Jiayuan, Sun Wen will be more proficient in the business of domestic football, but why Chen Jiayuan is the head of the Airborne Football Association, Du Zhaocai's arrest may explain some reasons. Judging from the list of briefings for this meeting, neither Sun Wen nor Gao Hongbo was complicit with others. With Du Zhaocai taken away, the two of them also shouldered the heavy responsibility of the relevant work of the Football Association. Because in the current anti-corruption crackdown, the vast majority of the core leadership has been eliminated. However, the workflow and the subsequent competition are not waiting for anyone, so there is an urgent need for some really capable people to take charge.
The Chinese Super League is about to begin, and I don't know what Chinese football will look like after this anti-corruption crackdown. Although many fans find it difficult to accept, it is crucial to take a long-term view. If it continues in this dark environment, who knows when it will reach the World Cup. For Chen Jiayuan and the others, who are already facing a difficult problem, no one can say for sure what awaits them next.