China turning World Cup into George Orwell's 1984

What does the China, the World Cup and George Orwell have in common? Quite a lot, actually. If you're China, how do you avoid drawing attention to the billions of people outside your country who are no longer wearing COVID masks? Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, summed it up best: Whoever controls the […]

China will be planning an official bid to host the 2031 Women's World Cup. The Chinese Football Association and Chinese sports, education and finance ministies put together the strategy. If selected, it would be the country's third time hosting the tournament. Previously, China hosted the 1991 and 2007 tournaments. The Asian country is attempting to […]

Beijing (AFP) – Gleaming football stadiums built for the Asian Cup may turn into "white elephants" after China withdrew as hosts, experts say, with President Xi Jinping's World Cup dreams more remote than ever. Ten cities across China have sunk billions of dollars to build eight new stadiums and renovate two others for the Asian […]

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – China has withdrawn as the 2023 Asian Cup host due to the coronavirus, football officials said Saturday, with Beijing's strict zero-Covid strategy dealing another blow to the country's sporting ambitions. Authorities in China are pursuing a strategy of stamping out the virus entirely, which includes rapid lockdowns and mass testing, and […]

Beijing (AFP) – After staging both a Summer and now a Winter Olympics, there is one major international sports event left for China to host — the football World Cup. Football fan President Xi Jinping has said he wants China to stage and even win the men's World Cup one day, and the country has […]

Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – China are on the brink of suffering more World Cup heartache despite clinching an impressive 1-1 draw with Australia on Tuesday in qualifying for next year's football showpiece in Qatar. A 38th-minute strike by Mitchell Duke appeared to have condemned the global Olympic and economic powerhouse to their fourth […]

Doha (AFP) – Australia convincingly beat China 3-0 on Thursday as the final stage of Asian qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off on Thursday. The Socceroos' emphatic win in Doha came hours after Oman had caused a major upset edging past Japan 1-0 in Suita while South Korea were held to a […]