China men's soccer team again channeled the ire of local media and fans yesterday after the side were surprisingly beaten 3-2 by Syria in their opening Asian Cup qualifier on Wednesday.

The visitors conceded their first goal in the sixth minute when an ugly challenge by captain Du Wei in the area led to the first of two penalties that had Syria up 3-0 before halftime in Aleppo.

Although China began clawing their way back into the game after the break, it was a case of too little too late. A catalog of sloppy passes and clumsy tackles only served to compound the players' aggressive first-half display that saw them revert to type by heading into self-destruct mode - a pattern that has become all too familiar to frustrated fans.

Caretaker coach Yin Tiesheng was shocked at the loss, telling leading internet portal sohu.com that a number of technical mistakes had led to China's defensive meltdown.

The defeat marked China's first loss to the Arab country in 29 years, a new benchmark that was described as "unacceptable" and "unforgivable" by fans.

"I cannot believe my eyes. I cannot even forgive myself as I have said a thousand times I would not watch our men's soccer team again," an angry fan ranted in a posting left on sina.com

"This was only an Asian Cup qualifier. How could we play such a minnow as this (Syria) in such a way? It's unacceptable and unforgivable."

Some fans were less emotional - but only because the team's string of poor results had already desensitized them and killed off much of their passion for the game.

"I feel numb. I cannot cry anymore. I have nothing to say about the sport," said one depressed fan on the same web board.

China, which have seen their FIFA world ranking nosedive to a lowly 104, host ASEAN champions Vietnam on Wednesday in the second group match. Despite the lack of pedigree in the Southeast Asian side, Chinese fans have already lost faith in their countrymen's ability to redeem themselves and give fans something to cheer about.

Only 11 percent of respondents to a poll on sohu.com expect China to win the game. Over 65 percent anticipate a defeat and more blushes to follow. A similar percentage bet against China advancing to the final round of the Cup.

Some fans have even gone so far as to target state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) for broadcasting the match live.

"CCTV is stupid to continue (doing this). It is therefore partly to blame for fans getting hurt again."

Some think the broadcaster should shift its allegiance to the women's team, which has fared considerably better in recent years. The team won the Four National Women's Football Tournament on Wednesday night, but the competition was not aired here.

"Our women's team won the tournament with a final defeat of South Korea, but we could not watch it on TV. CCTV chose to broadcast the men's team instead," said another irate fan.

China won all three of the games to clinch the title, scoring eight goals and conceding none. Skipper Bi Yan got the winning goal in the final match to beat South Korea 1-0 in Guangzhou.

New soccer czar named

Nan Yong was confirmed as China's top soccer official on Wednesday night after holding the fort on behalf of Xie Yalong since the Olympic Games in August.

Xie was officially reassigned as the board chairman of China Sports Industry Group.

The former head honcho picked up the moniker "Sinner of Chinese Soccer" after the national side failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in June and was later eliminated from the group stage of the Beijing Games without notching a single win, prompting his imminent removal.

(China Daily January 16, 2009)