The Chinese national men’s football team recently suffered a devastating 0-7 loss to the Japanese team in the World Cup Asian qualifiers, setting three records: the biggest defeat against Japan, the most goals conceded in a single World Cup qualifier, and the biggest defeat in a World Cup qualifier. This ignited collective anger among Chinese football fans, with even die-hard fans reportedly passing away during this period, sparking rumors of shock-induced deaths, which were later debunked. Some commentators attribute China’s football failures to issues within the Communist Party system.
During the first match of the final round of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers on September 5, the Chinese national men’s football team suffered a humiliating 0-7 defeat to Japan.
Chinese football legend Fan Zhiyi openly criticized the team, saying, “It makes me want to jump into the Huangpu River.”
Renowned football commentator Li Chengpeng wrote on the social media platform X, “They suffered a crushing defeat because these fools are shameless and worse, they are bad! And most disgracefully, they all think it’s right.”
Former national team player Mao Jianqing lost control of his emotions and slapped himself. He remarked, “Losing by seven goals at the national team level is unfathomable. Losing by two or three goals could be somewhat acceptable, but this many goals is simply incredible. It doesn’t look like a game at all, it’s more like a half-time drill.”
One fan at the stadium cried in front of the cameras, saying, “You don’t know how to play football at all, do you even know how to do anything? Show some spirit, will you…?”
The Zunyang District Football Association in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, announced on September 6 that well-known fan and Beijing Olympics torchbearer Gui Erniu passed away at the age of 76 on the night of September 5 due to illness. The announcement did not mention whether Gui Erniu’s sudden death was related to China’s defeat by Japan in football. However, Gui Erniu’s passing coincided with the conclusion of the national team’s match against Japan, less than 3 hours before his death.
Many netizens speculated that Gui Erniu’s death was triggered by the national team’s loss, but the “Jiangxi Lushan Football Club” later clarified that Gui Erniu had been ill since last year and was in a coma for three days before his demise, unrelated to the football match.
Comments from netizens include, “Accumulated depression turned into illness,” “What a suppressed life, ultimately wasted,” “Disappointed, lost faith, lost motivation to live, the defeat was a big blow,” “Debunk first,” “Three hundred silver coins are not hidden here.”
Football is praised as China’s number one sport, but the national men’s team has repeatedly faced defeats in recent years due to severe corruption issues. Former national team head coach Li Tie and former Chinese Football Association chairman Chen Xuyuan are among those who have fallen from grace.
Yang Weidong, son of former national team doctor Xue Yinhan, told Radio Free Asia that China’s football selection mechanism lacks transparency, corruption is rampant, and the youth training system has long been ineffective. He believes that China’s repeated football failures are not only rooted in corruption but also in systemic issues.
Former CCP official and overseas independent commentator Du Wen stated on the X platform that while CCP leader Xi Jinping has unprecedentedly emphasized football development, a review of China’s football development process reveals that authorities’ “emphasis” on football and top-down intervention, just like in other industries, often overlooks the free will of athletes, coaches, and other football participants and ignores the rules of football itself. Football has been forcefully imbued with political significance.
Du Wen believes that the current state of Chinese football directly reflects the state of Chinese politics, economy, military, and society. The embarrassment of Chinese football is not merely due to the significant gap in tactics, individual skills, and overall cohesion compared to Japan and Western countries, but also due to the collapse of players’ willpower and morale. It signifies a breakdown of Xi Jinping’s Chinese Dream, football dreams, Xi Jinping Thought values, and the leadership capabilities of the Communist Party.