Li Tie's investigation case has finally unveiled. The pair of boots that have been idle for nearly half a month, along with the dust settling, the truth of the incident gradually surfaced. Hubei Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision of the official website on November 26th released a message that the former national football coach Li Tie is suspected of major violations of the law, and is currently being subjected to the Central General Administration of Sport Discipline Inspection and Supervision Group and Hubei Supervision Committee of the in-depth investigation.
▲ A scene of Li Tie's planned training as head coach of the national football team at the Foshan training base on January 6, 2020 in Foshan, China. (CNN file photo by Chen Ji Min)
At present, the World Cup is in full swing, Li Tie's name frequently appeared in all kinds of World Cup news in the comments section. Netizens have commented, some flirting, some sarcastic, and even some people sigh "hate iron is not steel". This kind of emotion is not only against Li Tie, but also reflects the deep thinking of Chinese soccer. On the one hand, the passion of the world's soccer tournaments makes people's hearts pound, on the other hand, the controversial incident of the former national football coach has triggered widespread public concern.
However, this sentiment is very different from our view. We should learn from the setbacks, learn from the pain, and weed out the drawbacks that hinder the development of Chinese soccer. Especially in the World Cup, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Iran and other Asian soccer teams not only showed excellent level of play, but also conveyed the spirit of soccer, once and for all to break the prejudice of "no Asian soccer".
In fact, modern soccer relies on commercial support, but it must not go to the extreme of commercial supremacy. Soccer, for most people, is a hobby and a way of life. As the bearer of soccer, it should remain fair and transparent, rather than being reduced to a tool for some people to seek personal gain.
Clues to Li Tie's current investigation are not hard to find. During his time coaching the national soccer team, he was exposed as being involved in a salary dispute with Wuhan Zhuoer Club and frequently implanted commercial brands on social media platforms, including two posters that did not even display the logos of the national soccer team's sponsors, prompting questions from the public.
It must be said that Li Tie is a master in business acumen and media awareness, but it seems that this wisdom has not been properly utilized. Rome wasn't built in a day, and when a person only focuses on pursuing personal interests and ignores the bottom line of morality, it's easy to slip into the abyss.
It must be pointed out that the problem of soccer corruption goes far beyond the economic level. It not only undermines the rules of the market and business ethics, but it also undermines the development ecology of Chinese soccer at a deeper level. For example, some of the incidents of "controlling players and matches" that have come to light may result in talented people being buried. This kind of "total account" is not easy to calculate, nor can the person who has fallen from the horse make up for it.
Of course, the root cause of corruption in soccer lies in the lack of effective supervision of power. It is difficult for the outside world to get a glimpse of the twists and turns of an industry and a circle. So, can the commercial operation of soccer be shown more to the public by establishing clearer rules and transparent mechanisms, or at least letting fans become an important force in monitoring and reporting?
Watching the anglers, we envy their fish. Li Tie's hot search in the World Cup fever intertwined, but also ignited the public's expectations. We expect Li Tie's investigation can become the World Cup "shot", 1.4 billion people are looking forward to that moment. Although the road is long, but only down-to-earth, clean and go on, we can be based on the stage of world soccer.
