Iceland, which is sparsely populated and bankrupt, won the first place in the qualifying group of the competition for the first time and entered the World Cup finals for the first time. With a population of 330,000, it broke the record of Trinidad and Tobago (population 6,543.8+0.3 million) and became the least populous participating country in the history of the World Cup.
Last year, when Iceland beat England 2-/Kloc-0 to advance to the quarterfinals of the European Cup, the famous British football player Reinkel couldn't stand it. The old man was furious on Twitter-England was defeated by a country with more volcanoes than professional football players!
Coincidentally, just today, Panama, a "tiny place" with an area of only over 70,000 square kilometers, finally defeated the United States and Honduras and won a World Cup ticket. Panama's land area is smaller than Iceland's, and their total population is only 4.03 million (20 16). But they created their own dark horse miracle in Central and North America, where there are masters like the United States and Costa Rica.
Five years ago, Iceland ranked only 13 1 in the world, lower than China (88th) five years ago. At that time, I remember that China and Australia might concede three goals, but Iceland and Australia won nearly 10. In just a few years, people have made rapid progress, but we have stopped.
China's men's soccer team missed the World Cup in Russia, and the worse news is that the national junior team failed to qualify for the Asian Youth Games and the World Youth Games. After losing to the Korean National Youth Team, China National Youth Team lost in the Asian Youth Games twice in a row and missed the World Youth Games for the seventh time.
It is obviously no coincidence that the national football team, the national youth team, the national junior team and the China men's football team suffered a total collapse. When the Football Association launched the U23 New Deal with great fanfare, the constant loss in the international arena was undoubtedly like a loud slap in the face, leaving China football with nowhere to hide again, because it seems that we are losing the future and losing at the starting line again.
△
It is not only the national football team that makes people feel distressed, but also the men's basketball team. Many teams that were not as good as China men's basketball team are now world-class teams. What about the China men's basketball team? I'm sorry, I recently finished fifth in the Asian Cup.
Not long ago in the European Cup, Slovenia defeated Serbia in the final of the European Championship and won the European Championship for the first time in history. Slovenian champion, apart from shaking the whole of Europe, it is estimated that China is the country with the biggest shock in the world.
1 1 years ago, it was the most thrilling victory in the history of basketball in China. In the final match of the World Championships in Sapporo, Japan, Wang defeated Slovenia with a three-pointer and advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Championships with his head held high. That China team, how unforgettable!
Recalling the past, the years are thick. Our men's basketball team has won so many exciting victories in history. Three centers, Yao Ming, Wang and Bater, built the "Mobile Great Wall" of China. Previously, Liu Yudong, the God of War, and Hu Weidong, the flying man, also led the men's basketball team to stand at the top of Asia and the top eight in the world. But how can it be as short as a few years and as long as more than ten years? Look at the black sheep at the beginning, all of them are the best in the world, but we are not as competitive as the next generation.
In the semi-final, Slovenia beat Spain, the number one favourite, and 1994 World Championships lost to China, the golden generation. How many world champions did Spain win later? ! Even the American team is afraid of three points.
1996 Olympic Games, China advanced to the quarter-finals, and the most crucial battle they won was against Argentina. Six years later, the Argentine team led by Ginobili advanced to the final of the World Championships in Indianapolis, and then won the gold medal at the 2004 Ya 'an Olympic Games.
How can those who are not as good as us and the team we won be so good?
△
There is a widely circulated joke:
Iceland has a population of 332,529, including 65,438 females+065,259 males under the age of 08, 82,365,438 males over the age of 35 +03, 2,265,438 obese, 65,438 busy whaling, and 365,438 people who are monitoring earthquakes. There are 1464 sheep shearers, 23 bankers in prison, 194 blind people, 7564 sick people, 564 people working in hospitals, police and fire brigades, 878/kloc-0 fans watching the game in the stadium, 2 team doctors, 2 masseurs and 7 administrative countries. By the way, the coach is Swedish.
This is of course an exaggeration. Iceland has more than 20,000 registered players. In the past ten years, Iceland has trained a large number of coaches. The ratio of coaches per player is even higher than that of Germany and Spain.
In contrast, China, with a population of/kloc-0.6 billion, has a registered football population of 8,000, only 7,000 teenagers and only 400 women's football players.
Look at the football powers: Germany has a registered football population of 6.5 million, Italy has 4.6 million and Britain has 4.5 million. Our neighbor Japan, 65438+670,000 registered football players under the age of 08.
How popular is basketball in Slovenia? In terms of area, one Chongqing is equal to four Slovenians, and in terms of population, there are only three million people. One Beijing can reach 15 people. But almost everyone in Slovenia has received relatively formal basketball training.
I don't have the data of Slovak men's basketball team, but the data of Lithuania, its former brother and powerful basketball country, is shocking: according to the estimation of European Basketball Federation, the total number of registered and unregistered basketball players in Lithuania is 147733, which is half of that in Russia. Although the absolute number is still small, the average quality of Lithuanian basketball players should be higher than that of neighboring sports powers. Lithuania has a population of less than 3 million, but there are 17 basketball courts that can accommodate more than 1000 people.
What about China? You can't believe it. According to FIFA data, the registered population of professional basketball in China is1.4000. Yes, you are not mistaken. Although the amateur basketball market is very hot, the registered population of professional basketball is really only 1 000.
Football is like this, so is basketball. With such a small base, how do you want the national team to select talents? ! With so few professional players, how can we make rapid progress?
△
What is lacking more than players is a good grass-roots coach!
China football doesn't need sky-high foreign aid. As long as our government supports and vigorously develops campus football and grass-roots football, we can attach importance to the training and support of grass-roots coaches. Having been a grass-roots coach for more than a year, into the pit really has many difficulties. I hope parents can understand, and so can children who practice football! China football needs millions of Xu Genbao in Qian Qian!
"Low level" is the current situation of domestic youth football coaches. But what is more impressive is their income. Low income makes it hard for young football coaches. Many people will change careers in a few years. Without the guarantee of income, it is difficult to have high-level grassroots coaches.
At present, the average monthly salary of young football coaches in China ranges from 2000 yuan to 6000 yuan, and it is not uncommon for them to earn more than 2000 yuan a month. Shenyang evening news previously reported that Wang Ruoji, a former Changsha Jinde player, now teaches in a football class in Shenyang Cultural Palace. Talking about his coaching career, he said: "Teaching children is the most tiring. Many technical terms are not understood and need to be explained carefully and repeatedly. I often lose my voice after a class. "
There are 600 registered football coaches in Iceland, 400 of whom have UEFA B-level coaching certificates, which means that Iceland has 1 certified coaches for every 825 people! Moreover, the income level of coaches is not low, and many of them are civil servants!
In fact, table tennis in China is great, and it is also great because there are many good grass-roots coaches, and the level of many grass-roots coaches may be the level of other national teams. Only when the foundation is laid can the house above be built stably. Such a simple truth has always been ignored by China football and China basketball. On the surface, the league is vigorous and very prosperous, but the foundation below is extremely weak.
△
The rise of the Icelandic men's soccer team and the prosperity of the Slovenian men's basketball team made us particularly jealous, just like watching poor students whose grades were not as good as our class when we were young. A few years later, the class reunion suddenly came, but we were dwarfed.
Historical experience tells us that no matter individuals, organizations, enterprises or countries. Without a strong reserve force foundation, it will not go far on any development road. Without a proper system, perfect reserve talents, excellent grass-roots coaches and a good foundation, it is impossible to create miracles.
In addition, for our fans and ordinary people, do we just blame the Football Association and the Basketball Association? Do we go to those courses to exercise ourselves? Have we sent our children to those stadiums for training? We have so many football fields and basketball courts, but have we used them effectively? If our children are talented in football and basketball, do we encourage them to practice?
Of course, there are many factors involved, and there are many places that need reform. However, as many famous sports stars have said, some of China's football and basketball talents may be doing the Olympics and learning the piano now. The other part may be to deliver takeout and move cement. If the physical education reform in China is not combined with the campus physical education reform, it is impossible to make a breakthrough.
It used to be inferior to ours, but now it's all so powerful. On the bright side, we, who are not as good as them now, can counterattack and surpass them again. From the external conditions, others may not be as good as us. Now that we have an example to learn from, we should put down our attitude, be determined to reform and learn modestly.
The best time to plant a tree is ten years ago, followed by now. Give the ideal some time!