The Chinese Women's Football League All-star game ended in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, on December 3 with the North squad trouncing the South 5-0.

Several of the 40 All-star players were former members of the under-19 team, which took the runner-up position at the FIFA World Championship last month in Thailand only to find that it was to be disbanded shortly after its return.

According to the State General Administration of Sports (SGAS), the runners-up won 1.2 million yuan (US$145,000), from which each top player is paid 50,000 yuan (US$6,000) and each understudy 20,000 yuan (US$2,400).

Although the cash bonus was welcome, the disbandment of the team was a painful surprise for the talented young women, especially coming so soon after taking second place at the World Championship. The China Football Association has offered no official explanation other than telling the team upon its return from Thailand, "You have accomplished your mission."

Some commentators believe that the CFA put the team together solely for the purpose of this year's World Championship. With the final match over, the squad has outlived its usefulness.

Head coach Wang Haiming tried to convince the CFA to extend the team's lifespan, perhaps reorganizing it under a different name and with a different purpose. But the CFA turned a deaf ear to Wang's pleas.

 Wang Haiming

Some of the young women, like Lou Xiaoxu and Xu Yuan, find themselves virtually unemployed because they don't have a local team or their teams failed to qualify for next year's Super League. Of the 40 All-stars who were eligible for the national team, only seven were from the U-19 team.

Team captain Sun Yongxia was bitter about the squad's unexpected demise. At the celebration banquet held in Yiwu on December 2, she said, "This celebration for us also means dissolution. We would rather stay on this team than receive a celebration banquet."

Seventeen-year-old Zhang Yanru had a more optimistic outlook. "Of course, the best thing is entering the national squad. And I've been exerting every effort to improve my skills to become one of them," said Zhang, who, at 183 centimeters was the tallest player on the U-19 team.

Wang Haiming remarked, "I'm really reluctant to say goodbye, as we have established a profound affection for each other since last year. This team is on the upswing and if it could continue longer, we would probably make greater improvements."

With chaos in the Super League and the departure of the men's team from the qualifying games for the 2006 World Cup with their tails tucked between their legs, the youth women's team was the shining light of Chinese soccer in 2004. Wang became something of a national hero and has widely been regarded as the likely choice as head coach of the women's national team.

But in another surprise move, after a meeting held on December 5 the CFA tapped Tony DiCicco, the former head coach of the American women's football team, to take the position.

The CFA has submitted its choice to the SGAS for final approval. If everything goes smoothly, DiCicco will become the first foreigner to coach the Chinese women's national team. His annual salary will be US$300,000.

"DiCicco has advanced soccer theories. But since he's not familiar with the situation in Chinese women's football, Wang Haiming can be the bridge between DiCicco and the players," explained a CFA official. The football governing body appointed Wang as the head of the Chinese coaching team to support and cooperate with the American coach.

Since DiCicco has not worked as a head coach for about five years, the CFA's contract with him will be based on team performance. The current target is at least one gold medal from the 2006 Asian Cup and the Asian Games.

This week, the U-19 team was posthumously named the Best Asian Women's Team by the regional football governing body. Wang Haiming is expected to accept the award on the team's behalf in Malaysia on December 8, 2004.

(China.org.cn by Li Xiao December 8, 2004)