Angry Chinese fans turned on their team and cheered their Syrian opponents following what Chinese state media called “another embarrassing defeat” in a home friendly on Tuesday.
China’s Serbian coach, Aleksandar Jankovic, cited bad luck after the match lost (1-0) in Chengdu, three days after the Chinese team was held to a 1-1 draw by Malaysia, also at home.
President Xi Jinping wants China, which only participated in one edition in 2002, to one day host the FIFA World Cup, or even win it, but the selection is currently ranked 80th in the world and confidence is at its lowest as the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup approach.
Thaer Krouma scored the winning goal in the second half for Syria, 94th in the FIFA rankings, in front of just over 12,000 spectators in a stadium with a capacity of 60,000.
According to The Paper newspaper, reporting the event from the southwestern city, local fans became angry after the match and demanded their money back.
Video footage also showed Chinese players being heavily booed and spectators chanting: “What a shame! What a shame !”
“It’s a frustrating result for us,” Jankovic said after the defeat, according to the Xinhua news agency, which noted that Chinese fans applauded the Syrian team after the match.
The team of the coach appointed in February is in a critical situation before the start of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup but also the Asian Cup which will take place in January and February 2024 in Qatar.
Chinese football is particularly in the grip of a vast anti-corruption campaign which has seen many personalities investigated or indicted, including former coach Li Tie.
