On November 8, Beijing time, the Chinese soccer world is in a state of flux. Guangdong media Guangzhou Daily heavily disclosed that the latest edition of the national football team's list was unveiled, and that Ekson was unexpectedly eliminated, marking the end of the era of non-blooded naturalization in the national football team, a news that quickly sparked heated discussions among fans.
The national soccer team is about to challenge Thailand and South Korea, and Coach Jankovic announced the new roster in advance. Shockingly, the resident national soccer player Eckerson is not on this list, while the newly recovered Zhang Yuning and the injured Xie Weijun are unexpectedly selected. Some media analyzed that Ackerson failed to meet the standard of the national football team due to his poor condition.
Guangzhou Daily noted that "Eickson has been flat at the club and failed to show highlights in Jankovic's warm-up matches. Wu Lei and Tan Long will be firmly in the starting lineup, with Xie Weijun and Zhang Yuning as Tan Long's replacements." The media also revealed that Eickson's fall means that the national football team has a limited number of naturalized player quotas, and the road of non-blood naturalization is feared to end.
Yankovic's decision sparked controversy. His exclusion of Eickson signals an increased difficulty for non-blooded naturalized players to enter the national football team. Although the media has not revealed any more inside information, the unexpected exclusion of Eickson, as well as the concerns of naturalized players such as Luo Guofu and Fernando, have left fans buzzing.
Fans had a lot of opinions, "You can't give up on Ackerson, but why choose Tan Long?" One fan said, "At 35 years old, Tan Long concedes goals frequently, why not consider Tao Qianglong, at least to train talents for the future World Cup!" Another fan argued, "Eickson is better than Tan Long even if he's not performing well, at least he's experienced and has a clear sense of awareness. Why didn't Yankovic give Lo Guofu and Alan a chance when he took over?"
However, there are also fans who hold a different viewpoint: "The road to naturalization may be complicated, but irony and hard work is the right way, and strengthening youth training is the key. Expect the naturalized players will finally play out." There are also fans flirting: "Look at Tan Long and Wu Lei's performance! If we can beat Thailand, all the controversies will disappear, otherwise Jankovic may face a crisis of dismissal!"
