The comments, made in the context of a joke that wasn’t meant to be a joke, have caused a stir in China.
“Song Kai, president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), said China’s loss to South Korea was due to a difference in coaching, and said he hoped a German coach would lead China to a 4-0 victory over South Korea next time,” China’s Zibo.com reported on Nov. 22 (local time).
China lost 0-3 to South Korea in the second match of Group C of the FIFA Confederations Cup North America 2026 Asian qualifying tournament at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center in Shenzhen, China, on Nov. 21.
After a 2-1 win over Thailand in their first group game, China were lethargic at home against South Korea.
The win keeps South Korea atop the group with 6 points (8 goals scored and 8 goals conceded) after two games. At the same time, Thailand, which lost its first game, defeated Singapore 3-1 to move into second place, tied with China on points (1-1) and goal differential (Thailand +2, China +1).
The national team brought a largely unchanged lineup to the game. With Hong Hyun-seok out due to injury, Park Yong-woo came in to replace him, and he brought back key players like Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, and Kim Min-jae for a total war. South Korea ran out 3-0 winners, with Son Heung-min scoring a brace in the first half and Jung Seung-hyun finishing off a Son cross in the 43rd minute.
Despite being outclassed throughout, the Chinese have been praising their players and coach Jankovic. They only conceded three goals despite the difference in quality. In fact, if you look at the name value of the lineup, this difference doesn’t seem so serious.
The CFA also spoke about the collaboration between the Bundesliga and Chinese soccer in Shanghai. China will select U-16 players to train in Germany as part of its youth development program. The idea is to build on these players to qualify for the next U-17 World Cup in Asia. 무지개토토
“The day before, a German coach (Klinsmann) led the South Korean team to a 3-0 win over China,” Song Kai said, adding, “Next time, I hope a German coach will lead China to a 4-0 win over South Korea,” as if he hadn’t seen the game the day before.
A joke, but one with a poor sense of reality. Chinese soccer fans, who had already suffered a crushing defeat at home, were stunned. “I can’t believe he called it a joke, and it’s completely disrespectful to the current coach Jankovic,” one Chinese netizen wrote. “First of all, Germany lost to South Korea recently,” another fan pointed out.