As the goals of "competing for national glory" and "sports scholarships" became the focus of the Republic of China's international and domestic development in the 1970s, domestic sports competitions became an integral part of the athlete's upbringing. As a result, a clear distinction began to be made between the players who were responsible for participating and the general public who did not have the status of players. With state resources, the standard of soccer in the country has gradually improved, with Taiwanese players being the mainstay of the game.
the national team
Started playing in Olympic qualifying tournaments, World Cup and other tournaments.
Since the CFF was not sure that Taiwan's soccer players would be able to win international tournaments, the CFF gave up the opportunity to participate in the Asian Cup and the Asian Games since the early 1970s. However, since the CFC had to fulfill its obligations as a member of the AFC, or else its membership rights would be affected, it reluctantly sent a team to the 1971 Asian Youth Cup. Similarly, as a member of FIFA, the ROC must at least participate in Olympic or World Cup qualifying matches in order to be exempt from fines or disciplinary action for removal from the team, and thus for the first time ever, local Taiwanese players were selected to participate in international matches in the 1971 Olympic qualifying tournament. China
soccer league
On the one hand, they chose to abstain from the Asian Cup and the Asian Games, and lacked weekday nurturing and training for their players, while on the other hand, they expected Taiwan's soccer team to make a step up and play in a global tournament such as the Olympics, which of course made it even more difficult to reach their goal.
Prior to that, the Chinese team, relying on Hong Kong players, had made it to the Olympic Games twice, in 1936 and 1948, but only in 1960, after the Republic of China moved to Taiwan. In the 1971 Munich Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the Chinese team finished at the bottom of the table with 0 wins, 4 losses, 1 goal and 19 goals conceded, while in the 1975 Montreal Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the Chinese team was eliminated from the tournament after losing to South Korea by a score of 0-2 and 0-3.
Thereafter, the Chinese
soccer league
Ousted from the AFC in 1974, plus the 1976 Montreal Olympics for
the Olympics
With the name controversial withdrawal, the World Cup Qualifying Tournament, a tournament that even professionals can participate in, has become the only official international tournament that the Republic of China (ROC) can participate in, other than amateur invitational tournaments.
As Japan and Korea
national soccer team
The rise of the world, coupled with the rise of China since 1974, has led to the emergence of a new generation of Chinese citizens.
soccer league
Being expelled from the AFC, the opponents in international matches that Taiwan was eligible to participate in after the 1970s were of a higher technical standard than in the past, and even though Taiwan's players' strengths had grown significantly compared to those of the past, it was difficult for them to be reflected in the international matches. At that time, Taiwan created a sports sponsorship system and trained international coaches through the allocation of resources by the state, cultivating a group of elite soccer players and improving the quality of the game.
the national team
the technical standard of the game. The country also introduced a league system in 1982, allowing Taiwan's soccer development to progress significantly from before the 1970s. In the 1984 Olympic qualifying tournament, Taiwan even had its best performance ever with ○ wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses, scoring 5 goals and conceding 9.
However, this kind of investment cannot bring back the championship for the country as Hong Kong players did in the past when they represented the Republic of China, or as the Red Leaf Little League team did in the same era when they traveled to Williamsport. In the eyes of the government and the public, baseball and soccer have become a stark contrast. The image of "the Republic of China as the soccer kingdom of Asia" was shaken. In the same period, the
women's soccer
The title "Mulan" suggests that the imagery of Mulan taking her father's place in the army has revitalized men's soccer instead.
In 1978, when Minsheng Daily mentioned the gradual expansion of soccer in Taiwan, it first used the imagery of a "soccer desert" to describe Taiwan's soccer environment, and hoped that it would grow and thrive step by step under the promotion of dedicated people, the article mentioned:
Hsinchu's Chien Kung Elementary School used to be a "soccer desert", but with the hard work of several teachers such as Chen Maoshen, Chien Kung Elementary School has become a thriving soccer field, and Chien Kung's team has gradually made a name for itself in the world of children's soccer. ...... There are many examples of the development of soccer like the one mentioned above, but ultimately, it is a process of continuous efforts by people who have the will to do so. Anyone who cares about soccer would like to see this enthusiasm expand to all national schools .......
When the Republic of China withdrew from the United Nations, baseball teams frequently participated in international tournaments and won victories, gaining international exposure for the Republic of China and diverting social anxiety, thus establishing baseball as the national sport. In contrast, Taiwan, which failed to inherit the signboard of the Asian soccer kingdom, transformed the post-war spatial contrast between the Republic of China (ROC), the Asian soccer kingdom, and Taiwan, the soccer backwater, into the contrast between Hong Kong, the Asian soccer kingdom, and Taiwan, the soccer backwater, in the 1970s.
For soccer in Taiwan, the "soccer kingdom of Asia" and the "soccer desert" are two sides of the same coin, both stemming from Taiwan's succession to the Republic of China's imaginative conception of athletic performance in the post-war era, and inextricably linked to the nationalism that soccer has carried in the Republic of China since the twentieth century, but rather not related to the size of the population and the number of spectators who actually participate in the sport in Taiwan. If Taiwan's soccer performance in international matches is outstanding, Taiwan is the "Kingdom of Asian Soccer" and vice versa, the "Soccer Desert". For example, the 2014 soccer mid-course program, because of its poor international ranking, was noted that "Taiwan has long been regarded as a soccer desert, and has been excluded from the World Cup soccer tournament."
