Should the Premier League take note of what has happened in China?

November 19, 2008

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Lack of moral ethics?

Can you imagine what would happen to the Premier League if Sky Television pulled out of covering it? It doesn’t bear thinking about. The amount of debt left in the game would be astronomical and the collapse of football in England as we know it would be swift and spectacular.

Although it seems very unlikely to happen, maybe the managers, players and fans should all take a step back and look at their behaviour. Maybe we should all start taking the Respect campaign a little more seriously.

In China, the main TV station has stopped showing matches from its top domestic league. Football is popular in China, but the domestic game has long been in the doldrums. China Central TV (CCTV) has said that the players in the league lack “professional ethics”.

Like throwing coins into the crowd?

Although the suspension of showing matches is only a temporary measure, the effect it has will be interesting to see. Imagine if Sky told players and managers to clean up their act because if they didn’t they would pull out. I reckon we’d see a pretty swift improvement in behaviour!

Jiang Heping, head of the CCTV sports channel, said in an interview with a leading Chinese newspaper that he was blaming the players.

“Some lack even the minimum professional ethics. The state of Chinese football at the moment makes everyone feel bitter. If it goes on like this, it’s in danger of being thoroughly destroyed.”

The type of thing happening in China that has led to the TV suspension sounds pretty terrible. It sounds like the type of thing that couldn’t happen in good old England.

Recently a scuffle broke out in a match between teams from Beijing and Tianjin that eventually involved the team coaches.