Former England captain David Beckham is being lined up to promote Chinese football, state media said on Friday, but fans say rebuilding the sport’s shattered image may be too big a challenge even for him.
Officials have confirmed the superstar will make a highly anticipated tour of China “in which he will be appointed the CSL’s (Chinese Super League’s) ambassador”, the state-run China Daily said.
The Chinese Football Association is not expected to confirm the trip until next week, but sports fans took to internet message boards in droves to criticise the decision.
Many said installing Beckham – currently with French club Paris Saint-Germain – as an “international ambassador” will do little to address the core problems of the competition, which is battling to overcome match-fixing and bribery scandals.
“This is a superficial change by the CFA. Even if Beckham comes, what exactly is he going to do?” said one poster on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter.
“Chinese football will become even more rotten. Its prospects are bleak.”
Another addressed the player himself: “Want to discredit yourself, or to launder money? You have come to the right place. You could spend half a lifetime disgracing yourself, handsome guy.”