China sets sights on World Cup

What they say

Along with China's social and economic development, hosting the World Cup will naturally be included on the government agenda in the near future, although we haven't had a timetable for it. It's not all important for China to achieve elite results at the prestigious tournament quickly, given our current low level. Involving more people in soccer exercise while expanding the game's influence is our goal through bidding for the tournament.

—— CAI ZHENHUA, chief of the Chinese Football Association and deputy head of the General Administration of Sport of China

The old way of drafting young talent from an early age and isolating them at a certain training base from schools and parents, as we used to do, won't produce good results. The best way to involve China's large group of teenagers is to bring soccer training to campuses, introducing it as a mandatory part of a school's physical education curriculum. Only by doing so can we produce elite talent at the top of the pyramid with a solid foundation.

—— WANG DENGFENG, director of the Physical Education, Health and Art Department of the Ministry of Education

As a representative from the basketball circle, I felt a little bit jealous that soccer's development has been highlighted as a national strategy. Soccer clubs in China have been making big investments to import foreign players. But I think it's more constructive to consider how the league management should be reformed toward a truly professional approach.

—— YAO MING, owner of the Chinese Basketball Association club Shanghai Sharks

We are very excited to see such measures taken under the concern of the central government. The institutional change shows the CFA's efforts to separate itself from league operation and only serve a supervisory role, which is in line with international practice and will encourage more investors to get involved in soccer industry.

—— YE JUN, general manager of second-tier league club China Fortune FC in Hebei province