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José Antonio Camacho [File photo]

Many predicted it would all end it tears, and they were right. Juan Antonio Camacho, the seventh and perhaps least successful foreign manager in the history of the Chinese men's national soccer team, headed home to Spain earlier this month after being sacked less than two years into his three-year contract.

But this is not the end of the drama. Originally, it was reported that the Wanda real estate group would foot the huge compensation bill by picking up the remainder of his contract and taking care of his hefty tax bill in China. But after talks between the Chinese Football Association and Camacho broke down, Camacho called in FIFA and the contract dispute could take years to settle in arbitration.

Mark Dreyer

If Camacho's contract was guaranteed in full, as he claims, then it's hard to argue against him getting paid his money, no matter how poorly he performed. That is another reason why the CFA is taking so much heat right now, because not only did they clearly hire the wrong man for the job, but they also left themselves without a get-out clause when things went south. Reports say the final bill could top $12 million (73,616,400 yuan), a sum Chinese soccer can ill afford, given the myriad problems facing the game in China.

The question now, as always, is, "Where next?" Given that the last five national team coaches have alternated between being Chinese and foreign, it's a good bet that the next coach will be Chinese. It would seem obvious to even the casual observer that the problems go far deeper than simply changing the coach, but those in charge cannot – or will not – do anything more substantial.

One of the often cited criticisms of China's soccer set-up is that it is, at its core, overseen by the government, which is a curious arrangement given that FIFA expressly bans government involvement in national teams and regularly bans countries from international competition on this basis. But what this means is that those in charge are simply looking for short-term boosts for the sake of their own careers – anything for that next promotion – rather than instituting sorely needed grassroots reforms which will take years to elicit change, far more years than those in charge can bear to wait.

And so the cycle continues: A Chinese coach is judged to have failed, so he is replaced by a foreigner; the foreigner doesn't understand the Chinese system, so he, in turn, is replaced by a Chinese. On it goes, and nothing changes.

But what's the fascination with foreign coaches in China? While a high-profile appointment may bring a little extra media attention around the world, there are no obvious commercial benefits from this. Potential sponsors simply want to be associated with a winning team, so only on-field performance counts, rather than off-field attention.

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• Camacho leaves China
• Camacho appeals to FIFA over CFA dispute
• China fell to 109th in rankings under Camacho

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