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Asian Football Confederation Urges China To Develop Home-Grown Talent

Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Windsor John said that China is enjoying a "football boom" at the club level, but the country "needs to do more to nurture talent for the struggling national team," according to Ian Ransom of REUTERS. The Chinese Super League has become a "major player in the global transfer market in recent years" but the national side has "stagnated and is on the brink of failing to qualify for a fourth successive World Cup." John said, "China's football boom is good news for the AFC ... because it is a very important partner for us. On one hand, we need to improve the performance of the national team, so you need more home-grown players, more Chinese players who play in top clubs regularly and they can be prepared for the national team. On the other hand, the clubs want to do well in the league and become the champion, not only domestically but also champion in Asia. So it's a difficult situation." China's "best chance of qualifying may have to wait" until '26 when the World Cup expands to 48 teams. Asia will be allotted 8.5 berths for the tournament, up from the 4.5 the continent "currently enjoys." The half-place represents a team going into a playoff (REUTERS, 7/19).

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