The dragon awakes? http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2015-01/16...
This is what happens when your president likes football *stares at John Key*.
More on ^
'Football : the party's goal
"....... President Xi [Jimping] has been a football fan since childhood, when he played for his school team. During his early career he attended weekend matches. He was in the crowd at a Shanghai stadium in 1983 when China lost 5-1 to Watford, a British club. (The People's Daily, a party-run newspaper, says Mr Xi was enraged.) At a meeting in 2011 with South Korean leaders, when he was still vice president, Mr Xi expressed three wishes: for China to qualify for, host and win a World Cup ........ [followed by much of the above post, including: "In 2016 football will become an option in the national university entrance exam]"
- source The Economist, Dec 13th, 2014
NB Keith Pritchett, ex-All White and father of ACFC's James Pritchett, may well have been in that China-thrashing Watford team of 1983. So if China realise President Xi's wish to win the World Cup then we can blame - or congratulate - Pritch senior, among others!