At a meeting of the National People's Congress, the slump of the national soccer team was brought up. Former coach Mizu called for measures to strengthen soccer, citing the lack of high-level game experience among players.
China has aimed to become a ''soccer powerhouse'' under President Xi Jinping, who is known to be a fan of soccer. The men's national team has lost five consecutive World Cup Asian qualifiers, and the women's nationalteam has also failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics.