CHINA: SUPPORTERS GREET CHINESE NATIONAL TEAM ON THEIR RETURN FROM THE WORLD CUP

Record ID: 640628

  • Title: CHINA: SUPPORTERS GREET CHINESE NATIONAL TEAM ON THEIR RETURN FROM THE WORLD CUP
  • Date: 14th June 2002
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (JUNE 14, 2002) (REUTERS) CROWDS OF FANS AT BEIJING AIRPORT WAITING FOR CHINESE NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM TO RETURN FANS WITH HUGE YELLOW SOCCER T-SHIRT WAITING VARIOUS OF SECURITY AT AIRPORT VARIOUS OF CHINESE SOCCER TEAM ARRIVING AT AIRPORT SOCCER TEAM AND OFFICIALS SITTING INSIDE V.I.P. WAITING ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BORA MILUTINOVIC, CHINA NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM COACH, SAYING: "I hope that when the Chinese team plays in the next World Cup, we will meet again." SOCCER TEAM APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) MA MINGYU, CHINA NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM CAPTAIN, SAYING: "During the games, we tried our best, but what really struck us is the big gap between us and the rest of the world. This is something which we can't change in a short period of time. During this World Cup, we realised our shortcomings and gained a lot of experience that will help us for the next World Cup and will especially benefit younger players." FANS WAVING AT SOCCER TEAM VARIOUS OF SOCCER PLAYERS GETTING ONTO COACH TWIN SOCCER FANS WAITING OUTSIDE AIRPORT (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) MISS ZHANG, ARMY UNIVERSITY STUDENT AND SOCCER FAN, SAYING: "They are our own national soccer team and I feel that although they lost, the fact that they got into the World Cup is really quite something." (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) TWIN SISTER MISS ZHANG, ARMY UNIVERSITY STUDENT AND SOCCER FAN, SAYING: "They lost, so if we don't support them any more, it's going to be really hard for them." ZHONG QIUYANG, 10-YEAR-0LD SOCCER FAN WITH HEAD SHAVED LIKE SOCCER BALL WAITING FOR TEAM (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) ZHONG QIUYANG, 10-YEAR-OLD SOCCER FAN, SAYING: "I don't like any of the national soccer team players -- their play really stank." FANS WAITING CROWDS SCREAMING AS COACHES DRIVE OFF Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 29th June 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVABUNEEM4LXR5EJCRY1FOG4T6CR
  • Story Text: Hundreds of fans have given China's soccer team a sweet and sour reception at Beijing airport on Friday (June 14) after the team left their first World Cup without scoring a goal.
    Crowds of screaming fans waited for hours at Beijing airport for the return of China's national soccer team despite the fact that they crashed out of their first World Cup finals without a point or even a goal.
    Fans of all ages skipped work or school to catch a glimpse of their favourite team on Friday morning.
    The players got off their plane from Seoul wearing dark suits and glum expressions.
    Only a few waved back at the 200 to 300 fans jumping and screaming "Go China Go" from behind the gates of the airport's V.I.P. parking lot.
    China crashed out of the World Cup with no points after losing 2-0 to Costa Rica, 4-0 to Brazil and 3-0 to Turkey in group C.
    Although never expected to reach the second round, their failure to score a single goal has sparked a new bout of angst over the state of Chinese soccer.
    Bora Milutinovic stepped down as China's coach on Thursday (June 13) but vowed to continue coaching after leading his fifth team to the World Cup finals and the only one not to have made it to the second round.
    "I hope that when the Chinese team plays in the next World Cup, we will meet again," Milutinovic told journalists at the airport.
    Despite China's abject performance, Milutinovic can now rest on his achievement as the man who took the world's most populous nation to its first ever World Cup finals.
    National team leader Ma Mingyu (pronounced ma ming-goo) was optimistic despite China's losses.
    "During the games, we tried our best, but what really struck us is the big gap between us and the rest of the world," he said. "This is something which we can't change in a short period of time. During this World Cup, we realised our shortcomings and gained a lot of experience that will help us for the next World Cup and will especially benefit younger players."
    A pair of twin college students, who had skipped class at the Army university, were still supporting the team despite their losses. Both gave their names as "Miss Zhang"

    (pronounced djang).
    "They are our own national soccer team and I feel that although they lost, the fact that they got into the World Cup is really quite something," said Miss Zhang.
    "They lost, so if we don't support them any more, it's going to be really hard for them," said the other Miss Zhang.
    Despite the huge turnout of fans, some young supporters were less than enthusiastic.
    Zhong Qiuyang (pronounced djong tchyo-yang), with his head shaven to look like a soccer ball offered his own criticism of the players.
    A few fans were less enthusiastic. "I don't like any of the players," Zhong Qiuyang, 10, told reporters. "Their play really stank."
    With the return of the national team, Chinese fans will have to wait for another four years before they get a chance to see their heroes perform once again.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register