Courtesy: The AFC.com


Vision China graduate shines on national futsal stage

Friday, 25 September 2009

CHENGDU: When Huang He was first selected for the China national futsal team, he created a bit of a stir.

Huang was an amateur – the first player from the unpaid ranks to be selected to the country’s national futsal squad.

But that’s not all. Huang was also a graduate of the Chengdu City League, which is part of the AFC Vision Asia programme in China.

He represented China at a futsal tournament in Hangzhou this year, with his team losing 5-3 to Holland and earning draws against Asian’s top teams Iran (3-3) and Japan (0-0).

Huang’s performance, in particular, caught the eye. AFC Vision China Director Liu Jingsong is convinced the City League played a major role in honing Huang’s skills.

Vision Asia platform

“Playing in the Chengdu City League provided Huang with an excellent foundation for his eventual selection to the national futsal team,” said Liu.

“The league provides high quality competition. It is a long season and they play weekly. He played there for three seasons and this really helped when he started playing futsal.”

Chengdu is one of five cities, along with Qingdao, Wuhan, Nanjing and Zibo, that are part of the Vision China programme.

Huang’s rise to national level surprised many, not least the man himself. He was with top Chengdu side Zhonghe in the City League but also played futsal for the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, where he was majoring in business administration.

Surprise selection

On one occasion, the China national futsal team used the university’s facilities for training. Huang and some other players were asked to come down to the session to provide opposition for the China players.

It was during this session that the Brazilian coach Farina spotted Huang’s talents and decided to draft him into the national squad.

“We select players according to their capability,” Shan Zhiping, one of the Chinese futsal coaches, was quoted as saying. “We do not care about his amateur background.”

Almost fired

The sudden jump from amateur to national level was not without its problems. Zhonghe almost fired Huang for spending too much time away from the club.

But the club's deputy director Xiong Zhigang said he was too valuable to lose.

“We nearly fired him because he didn’t play for us for a long time when he was the national team,” said Xiong.

“But he is our player. The rise of Chinese football should be based on the masses. An amateur player entering the national team symbolises the return of football to the masses.”

For Huang, the future holds plenty of opportunities. But being gifted in academics, he is still mulling his options.

“I am just a normal student except I also play football,” Huang was quoted as saying in the West China Metropolitan Daily. “My university has been really supportive. I miss classes sometimes but always make it up later.

“Being selected to the national team proves my ability but I still have lots to learn. I don’t know whether I’ll choose football or work when I graduate. It would be perfect if I can do both.”







Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com