Chinese football has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years and disaffected fans have turned away from the game. -Photo by AP

BEIJING: Chinese football fans were left frustrated after their national team's slim hopes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup were snuffed out on Tuesday, despite a 4-0 win over Singapore.

Iraq's victory over Jordan in Group A put qualification out of reach for the Chinese, who had hired Spanish coach Jose Antonio Comacho in August ahead of the third round of Asia zone qualifiers.

“I really want to beat myself in agony,” Zhang Peiliang, 25, told Reuters in downtown Beijing on Wednesday.

“We lost out on a ticket for the 2014 World Cup even though we have famous Spanish coach Jos Antonio Camacho. The result cannot be accepted by depressed fans.

“Who knows when the next time will be for China's football team to play in the World Cup.”

China has qualified for the World Cup finals only once when they played in the 2002 edition held in South Korea and Japan but lost all their group matches and failed to score a goal.

In January, they exited the 16-team Asian Cup at the first hurdle after finishing third in their group behind Uzbekistan and hosts Qatar.

Chinese football has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years and fans have turned away from the game amid corruption scandals, match-fixing and violence on and off the pitch.

Fans also voiced their anger on Chinese microblogging site Weibo.

“What's the point of victory over Singapore with four goals?” Weiwei jueye wrote.

“It seems like food is available shortly after starving people died minutes ago; water is here right after a burning house collapsed.”

Opinion

Editorial

United stance
Updated 13 Nov, 2024

United stance

It would've been better if the OIC-Arab League summit had announced practical measures to punish Israel.
Unscheduled visit
13 Nov, 2024

Unscheduled visit

Unusual IMF visit shows the lender will closely watch implementation of programme goals to prevent it from derailing.
Bara’s businesswomen
13 Nov, 2024

Bara’s businesswomen

Bara’s brave women have proven that with the right support, societal barriers can be overcome.
System failure
Updated 12 Nov, 2024

System failure

Relevant institutions often treat right to internet connectivity with the same disdain as they do civil and political rights.
Narrowing the gap
12 Nov, 2024

Narrowing the gap

PERHAPS a pat on the back is in order for the ECP. Together with Nadra, it has made visible efforts to reduce...
Back on their feet
12 Nov, 2024

Back on their feet

A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia....