Velappan: China should believe in itself
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-07-10 11:06

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) secretary-general Peter Velappan said on Friday Chinese players need to believe in themselves if they want to make the final at the coming Asian Cup China 2004.

"Every player must believe in himself that he can do it," said Velappan.

China will host the coming Asian Cup which will open in Beijing in a week. Encouraged by the host advantage, it set a goal of reaching the final of the 16-team tournament.

But later officials from Chinese Football Association (CFA) denied the goal, saying that they just want the team to play its best.

"They have no friends who have faith in them," Velappan said, saying that is the reason why China, dubbed as "big chokers" for its inconsistent play, always fell in big occasions.

He said confidence is a very important weapon and encouraged Chinese fans and officials to support the squad.

"You must have faith in your team," he said. "I will tell them (the Chinese players) that people in China believe in you, just go out and do it."

But Chinese officials are still reluctant to reveal a clear target for the team.

"Playing on home soil means a very huge pressure," said Zhang Jilong, AFC and CFA vice-president. "The team is under spotlight and we can only hope a better result."

China is drawn in an easy group with Qatar, Indonesia and Bahrain. Any result other than making the final would be widely considered as a failure by fans and the media.

China's best result in the event is the runner-up from 1984 Asian Cup in Singapore.

But Valappan warned that underdogs are expected to produce shock results and change the balance of Asian football, dominated by nations like South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia.

"Surprises are going to come from underdog teams," he said while naming Jordan, Omen and Bahrain as possible miracle-makers.

However, he said Japan, South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia are still the best teams in Asia and it will take time for other teams, including China, to catch up with them.

The Asian Cup will be played in four cities including Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqi and Jinan.

But being sandwiched between Euro 2004 and the Athens Olympic Games, two of the biggest sporting events in the world, the Asian Cup has received chilly reactions from fans as only several hundreds tickets were purchased matches in which China is not playing..

"The time of this Asian Cup is not very good," Valappan said.

He said AFC plans to move the next Asian Cup in 2007 to avoid other big sporting events.

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