Hong Kong-born Tsun Dai-wai on brink of making historic debut for China after named in 27-man squad for World Cup qualifiers
- Aloisio and Alan Carvalho return to China’s national team, with four naturalised players included in the roster
- Naturalised forward Ai Kesen is confirmed infected with the Covid-19 in Brazil and will not return to the Chinese team
Dai Wai-tsun may become the first Hong Kong-born player to represent China in the modern era after he was named in their 27-player football squad for two crucial World Cup qualifying matches.
The 22-year-old Shenzhen FC midfielder, known as Tsun Dai, has been retained from an initial 52-man squad as new-look China unveiled a few surprises, recalling naturalised Chinese footballers Aloisio, Alan Carvalho, Fernando Henrique and Tyias Browning – all who left the Chinese Super League in 2021 over financial complications.
Li Xiaopeng’s team face Japan in Saitama on Thursday before taking on Vietnam in Hanoi on February 1.
“The Shenzhen FC midfielder born in Hong Kong is called into the China NT squad for the qualifiers against Japan and Vietnam. It means the 22-year-old former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder is now eligible to represent China PR,” mainland sports news outlet Titan Sports wrote in a tweet.
If he starts against Japan, Dai will become the first local footballer to play for China since the Hong Kong Football Association joined world governing body Fifa in 1954.
Naturalised forward Ai Kesen was confirmed infected with the Covid-19 in Brazil and will not return to the Chinese team. Elkeson, who won three consecutive Chinese Super League titles and the AFC Champions League twice for Guangzhou, is believed to be back in training and may be called for later games.
China are ranked fifth in Group B of the AFC Asian Qualifiers. There are four games remaining in the final round. Only the top two finishers are guaranteed to progress to the finals in Qatar later this year.
They face an in-form Japanese team who have won their past three games and are second in the standings, four points behind leaders Saudi Arabia and one ahead of third-placed Australia.
Japan will also be bolstered by news that Celtic striker Daizen Maeda has been included in their 23-man squad for their qualifiers, while Takefusa Kubo has returned from injury.
China, however, will be buoyed by their women’s squad, who thrashed Taiwan in their opening match 4-0 and face Iran on Sunday.
