Common Talk Weeklyshuang yu zhou kan
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Chinese champions: Foreigners beaten in football final
Dcember 10, 2003
By Angela Lehmann
Photos by Yao Fan

It seemed to be more than just a football game - it was a matter of national pride. The drums were beating, the crowds cheering, as Chinese players beat the foreigner's team in the final of the Xiamen University football championships last week in a 6 - 1 victory.

The Technical College team faced a tough opponent, the Hai Wai - a team consisting of Xiamen residents from across the globe. Players came from countries as diverse as Saudi Arabia, Laos, Morrocco and Nigeria. Some were students from Xiamen University's Overseas Education college, others students at other university departments.

Before the game, confidence lay with the foreigners. Hai Wai goalkeeper, Per from Sweden was sure of a win. "We have a good team and we should win," he said. "We have won in the past and we usually make it at least to the quarter final."

However, the foreigners couldn't match the speed and skill of the Technical College team who scored in the first ten minutes of the game and continued to rule the play till full-time. Zhang Jun Ming, Technical College full-back, was thrilled with the result.

"We are so excited about our win because before the game we were thought to be weaker than the other teams, but finally we won the game. It was not as difficult as we thought," he said. "The success is because we had a good team. All the players were united together and the cooperation among the team was perfect. We trained for two months and did our best, and we did it!"

A large crowd had gathered by the end of the game to watch the Chinese players seize the championship cup.The Hai Wai team came in second in the competition last year also but this year were hoping to win.

Nevertheless, the season proved an interesting one for the team consisting of players from three continents. Per, a student of Chinese at the Overseas Education College, has never played on a football team at home in Sweden. Here, in Xiamen, he decided it would be a good opportunity to give it a try.

"In Sweden, football is like a national sport - everyone plays. They say there is a football field for every 100 people in Sweden! Football is getting stronger and stronger in China. The Chinese know a lot about the sport and already have two players in the European league." Per said that given time, China could have a national team to be reckoned with.

If the victory on Friday is a hint at the future, Per might just be right.