Chinese Soccer Scandal with Brendon Santalab
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http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26759896-23215,00.html
Brendon Santalab caught up in Chinese match-fixing scandal
By Ray Gatt
February 23, 2010
Former Sydney FC striker Brendon Santalab has been caught up in a match-fixing scandal and his Chinese Super League club Chengdu Blades relegated to second division.
Two clubs have been axed after a sweeping probe netted more than a dozen players and officials, including the head of China's football association, Nan Yong.
Santalab, who played for Sydney between 2007 and 2009, is said to be "holding up well" amid the ongoing controversy, which involves match fixing and bribing of referees as well as players allegedly paying for places at the national team's training camp and appearances in international competition.
"Brendon's fine," his agent Lou Sticca said.
"He signed a two-year deal with the club and will be staying with them. We knew about the problems beforehand, because the club was very honest with us.
"Things are being cleaned up at the club and in the game in general over there, with local government now becoming involved with the clubs. Brendon is tied to the club and is a very honourable person, so he will continue with that commitment."
Sticca said he was not concerned that Santalab could face a backlash over a situation that mainly involved officials.
"Brendon is happy to continue to play good football and getting paid for what he does best - scoring goals," Sticca said.
"I liken it to the situation that happened with (Italian club) Juventus when the club was relegated to Serie B after they were implicated in a match-fixing scandal in 2006.
"A number of players stuck by the club and they were promoted the following season."
A classy, exciting attacker Santalab, 27, had a wonderful debut season with Chendgu (owned by English Championship side Sheffield United) in 2009, scoring nine goals in just 12 games after he was granted a release by North Queensland Fury without playing a game for the A-League side.
It is understood he was being chased by a number of clubs in China and overseas, but was happy to stay with Chendgu.
Santalab is on a lucrative contract with Chendgu, which makes him worth more to the club, as it will need him to continue his phenomenal goal-scoring feats to lift it back to the Super League straight away.
The upheaval in Chinese football has led officials to introduce some drastic measures.
Facing intense pressure from China's communist leaders, Nan's replacement, Wei Di, has sworn to end such abuses, but faces institutional hurdles, including a lack of transparency, autocratic management and routine illicit co-operation between coaches, players and gambling syndicates.
Chinese leaders have complained about the lowly state of China's international team, which currently ranks just 87th in the world, which many attribute to corruption in the sport.
Brendon Santalab caught up in Chinese match-fixing scandal
By Ray Gatt
February 23, 2010
Former Sydney FC striker Brendon Santalab has been caught up in a match-fixing scandal and his Chinese Super League club Chengdu Blades relegated to second division.
Two clubs have been axed after a sweeping probe netted more than a dozen players and officials, including the head of China's football association, Nan Yong.
Santalab, who played for Sydney between 2007 and 2009, is said to be "holding up well" amid the ongoing controversy, which involves match fixing and bribing of referees as well as players allegedly paying for places at the national team's training camp and appearances in international competition.
"Brendon's fine," his agent Lou Sticca said.
"He signed a two-year deal with the club and will be staying with them. We knew about the problems beforehand, because the club was very honest with us.
"Things are being cleaned up at the club and in the game in general over there, with local government now becoming involved with the clubs. Brendon is tied to the club and is a very honourable person, so he will continue with that commitment."
Sticca said he was not concerned that Santalab could face a backlash over a situation that mainly involved officials.
"Brendon is happy to continue to play good football and getting paid for what he does best - scoring goals," Sticca said.
"I liken it to the situation that happened with (Italian club) Juventus when the club was relegated to Serie B after they were implicated in a match-fixing scandal in 2006.
"A number of players stuck by the club and they were promoted the following season."
A classy, exciting attacker Santalab, 27, had a wonderful debut season with Chendgu (owned by English Championship side Sheffield United) in 2009, scoring nine goals in just 12 games after he was granted a release by North Queensland Fury without playing a game for the A-League side.
It is understood he was being chased by a number of clubs in China and overseas, but was happy to stay with Chendgu.
Santalab is on a lucrative contract with Chendgu, which makes him worth more to the club, as it will need him to continue his phenomenal goal-scoring feats to lift it back to the Super League straight away.
The upheaval in Chinese football has led officials to introduce some drastic measures.
Facing intense pressure from China's communist leaders, Nan's replacement, Wei Di, has sworn to end such abuses, but faces institutional hurdles, including a lack of transparency, autocratic management and routine illicit co-operation between coaches, players and gambling syndicates.
Chinese leaders have complained about the lowly state of China's international team, which currently ranks just 87th in the world, which many attribute to corruption in the sport.
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Just read this now.
Chinese football won't improve anytime soon. The new boss of the Chinese FA has already said some rather strange things, and wants to implement the same type of rigourous state controlled program that has turned out robots that win gold medals at the Olympics. He is also failing to grasp that this won't work for football, where players need to be encouraged to develop their individual technical abilities (not suffocated as at present), and coaches need to be able to implement varying formations and strategies.
Player mentalities are also going to remain a problem. This from a friend of mine who was at Workers Stadium last night for Beijing's ACL match against Seognam:
"Last night's game showed again why the Chinese are their worst enemies.
Chinese football won't improve anytime soon. The new boss of the Chinese FA has already said some rather strange things, and wants to implement the same type of rigourous state controlled program that has turned out robots that win gold medals at the Olympics. He is also failing to grasp that this won't work for football, where players need to be encouraged to develop their individual technical abilities (not suffocated as at present), and coaches need to be able to implement varying formations and strategies.
Player mentalities are also going to remain a problem. This from a friend of mine who was at Workers Stadium last night for Beijing's ACL match against Seognam:
"Last night's game showed again why the Chinese are their worst enemies.
Beijing were on top, pushing the ball and linking up well. Had far
the more chances. Then suddenly, they imploded. A Beijing (Chinese)
player handled the ball and got a yellow card. And instead of walking
away and taking the punishment he decides to argue persistently with the
ref. Next comes the red card for a contant barracking of the ref. His
own players do nothing to pull him away even though they saw it
coming. Soon as the red card is dished out, the player still does not
walk off and stays on the pitch with his hands and arms in his waist as
if to say, "what did I do wrong". Again nobody ushes him off and now
it seems like an eternity for him to get off the pitch. Beijing are
reduced to 10 men.
Eventually he walks off but ever so slowly. The crowd are going
mental and shouting the usual "shaabi...shaabi....(Mandarin for a***hole)" mantra.
A free kick is awarded just outside the penalty box and Seongnam
score a beautifully flighted goal into the top left hand corner. The
Koreans go the corner flag which incidentally is where me and Ruby are
sitting and really milk the applause (if any) to celebrate the goal.
The Korean player pumps both his arms up and down to the Beijing hostile
crowd. More shaabi shaabi ensues and now a shower of plastic water
bottles are being thrown at the Korean players celebrating. One bottle
just missing a player's head. I think the football governing body
should intervene and dock points from Beijing and give them to either
Melbourn and Kawasaki.
I thought to mysefl, brilliant stuff. Scoring a goal as a result
of a Beijing player imploding. That'll teach them I thought. But
knowing Beijing, it won't.
Heads start to drop on the Beijng players as they are forced to
chase the game.
Moral of the story, if only they kept their heads, Beijing could
have easily won this game. When will they ever learn?"
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errm "shabi" literally doesnt mean @rsehole
.
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I think the "olympic way" is an interesting approach. Don't know enough about current coaching techniques in the CSL to know if it is suitbaly different to make an impact. I've always wondered (since the early 80s when I took an interest in Chinese sporting achievements) why men's team sports were absolutely useless (maybe with the exception of the men's volleyball team for a short time in the early 90s), but in individual sports they were often world class.
The women's team sports have and continue to be world class. I used to discuss this with my Chinese colleagues during my stint in Beijing and have a good idea why things are like this. I don't know if different coaching techniques will produce real improvements but i certainly think an "olympic approach" which cuts down the prima donnas is worth looking at.
"Phoenix till they lose"
Posting 97% bollox, 8% lies and 3.658% genuine opinion.
Genuine opinion: FTFFA
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