This is the feeling I haven't had in a long time. This is what football should be like.

The East Asian Football Championship concluded today. I watched three matches in this tournament: China vs. South Korea, China vs. Hong Kong, and South Korea vs. Japan. Perhaps because it had been a long time since I had watched so many matches in such a short period, I finally rediscovered the passion that football once gave me.

Speaking of football really makes me sad. I didn't like football when I was little; I preferred basketball. I remember in fifth grade, I didn't even know what a football was. In sixth grade, by chance, the elementary school was forming a football team, and as a basketball star at the time, I was naturally selected, though I was extremely unwilling. It was a primary school football tournament organized by Greentown, and I was the goalkeeper. Most of the other players were just playing around. But it was this experience that introduced me to football and made me fall in love with it.
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I stopped playing basketball in junior high school, focusing solely on soccer. It's a pity I was born at the wrong time. After 2002, Chinese soccer declined steadily, fans began to leave the stadiums, the national team's performance was abysmal, and fewer and fewer people played. In junior high, we had to fight for soccer fields, but by high school, entire grassy areas were almost deserted. Now, it's not about playing soccer anymore; it's about loneliness. Most fans have turned to basketball, which is why basketball has become so popular in China.

In the autumn of 2009, Chinese football once again found itself at the center of public attention. The attention from central leaders and the Ministry of Public Security's intervention in match-fixing and corruption within the sport gave countless fans new hope, and football began to re-enter the public eye. As the investigation deepened, high-ranking officials were arrested, and new measures were implemented—all foreshadowing the imminent arrival of spring for Chinese football!

Football's status as the world's most popular sport is undoubtedly due to its unique charm, offering viewers a passion and excitement that no other sport can match. Just imagine how many other sports can drive viewers wild, bring them to tears, and leave them mesmerized? How many sports can make international matches feel like war? How many sports can keep viewers on the edge of their seats day and night?

Although you see articles and comments online every day that insult Chinese football, and mockery of Chinese football is everywhere, all of this represents concern for the decline of Chinese football. Although it disappoints you, makes you want to smash your TV, and breaks your heart, it still exists in your heart. You can say you'll never watch Chinese football again, but when it matters, don't you hope that maybe everything will change in the next moment? You draw the curtains, lock the door, secretly turn on the TV, turn the volume down, and silently watch it.

But all of this may change. With the crackdown on match-fixing, the environment of Chinese football has been purified to some extent, and football will gradually develop. The 3-0 victory over South Korea stunned CCTV, brought tears of joy to fans, and showed the nation that Chinese football can still prove itself. Afterwards, they defeated Hong Kong to win the highly prestigious semi-final championship. Don't say that others didn't field their strongest teams or weren't playing at their best. Do those people understand football? Are we our strongest players? Look at the age of this team, look at our European players—not a single one has returned. Football is football, victory is victory, nothing else matters. This time, it's just something to be happy about!

While this championship doesn't signify everything, it's a good start. This start has brought back a long-lost feeling and made us realize that there are so many like-minded people around us. Chinese football doesn't lack popularity, but rather cohesion—the kind of cohesion that makes fans feel the charm of football. This cohesion isn't about the national team's performance, but about the spirit they embody—that spirit of giving it your all and never giving up.

By the way, our media is incredibly unprofessional; frankly, it's garbage. Journalists should learn from their foreign counterparts. Japanese and Korean football journalists don't just praise a team to the skies when they play well and condemn them harshly when they play poorly. They analyze the game and offer suggestions. And what about you? Simply put, you're deceiving the ignorant masses.

I also want to say that I really envy the fans in Japan and South Korea. They are not only professional, but also unwavering in their dedication.