Does Chinese sport need a savior?

The chaos brought on by recent Chinese football scandals has stirred a debate across the country about the future of the sport.

While we pay attention to who is being investigated though, another piece of news concerning Chinese football has reached my ears: Diego Maradona is coming to China and he might be coaching Shanghai Shenhua next year.

The (in)famous Argentine footballer came to China this week to participate in a Maradona China tour. From November 3 to 13, the football god will visit Beijing, Jinan, Dongguan and four cities in Hefei. All proceeds from his activities will be used for charity.

Interestingly enough, Shanghai isn’t on the official tour. 

When Maradona arrived in Beijing on November 3, he denied that he had any contact with Shanghai Shenhua; however, there is still a possibility that he came to explore opportunities with the team, even if those dealings aren’t to be made public yet.

The Argentine said of the thought of coaching the Shanghai Shenhua, “We can talk about it.”

If Maradona does sign with the Shenhua, his intentions to save Shanghai football, and possibly Chinese football in general, is admirable. However, whether Chinese sports need “Commander Ma” is still a big question.

Maradona may not be suitable for the Shanghai Shenhua

Rumors about Shanghai Shenhua owner Zhu Jun's approaching the legendary Argentine footballer to coach Shenhua have been around since the first half of this year.

This past October, the rumors have gained momentum.

Tencent reported that Zhu Jun wrote on his weibo that Maradona would bring over his whole coaching staff, who participated in South Africa World Cup, if he decides to coach Shenhua -- with a base salary of 3 million euros. Big names do not come cheap.

To confirm this information, I tried to contact Shanghai Shenhua insiders, but no word on the topic has been discussed one way or the other with the team.

Maradona coaching Shenhua will not bring the team any real changes except for the fame. However, Miroslav Blazevic [the current coach] was and is able to change Shenhua completely— Shanghai newspaper football reporter

Whether Maradona will sign with the Shenhua is unknown, but it’s clear to those that follow the Shenhua that with such an inexperienced team and inconsistent players, having a moody coach like Maradona is not the most suitable choice. Not being able to connect with current and potential players, the “savior” won't be able to save anyone.

Moreover, Maradona might not be suitable to be a manager. Maradona lacks experience in overall team management, which was clearly shown during the Argentina versus Germany match at the World Cup. His passionate personality can inspire a team, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to a win on the field.

“Maradona coaching Shenhua will not bring the team any real changes except for the fame. However, Miroslav Blazevic [the current coach] was and is able to change Shenhua completely,” says a well-known Shanghai newspaper football reporter who asked to be quoted anonymously due to his working relationship with Shenhua.

Maradona vs. Donewald

Maradona shares many characteristics with Bob Donewald, the coach of China's national men's basketball team: both are short-tempered, eloquent and good at using players' current capabilities instead of exploring the players' potential.

Neither of them have the ability to create miracles. You give them developed players, they give you the results you expect, with little improvement or variation.

The Chinese men's basketball team, led by Donewald, gave a heroic performance at the World Championships in Turkey in August, with Yi Jiancheng becoming known as “king of the rebound” in the World Championships.

However, Donewald was unable to keep even one of his stars inline, with Yi causing a fight at the China-Brazil Friendship Game, shocking the whole nation, and jeopardizing his -- and his team’s -- chances of playing at the Asian Games.

Would Maradona be able to keep control of his team better than his fellow “savior?" Perhaps the “king of football” knows his reputation could be ruined if he doesn’t ensure that the current corruption in Chinese football stays far away from him and his team. But he has yet to show that he can maintain that kind of control.

Maradona could perhaps bring a little bit of comfort to Chinese football fans, but he alone cannot change the level of play in the Chinese Football League. Right now, the sport as a whole is not doing well, and by signing with the Shenhua, Maradona might even be dragged into this disaster.

'Savior' coaches of Chinese sports

Chinese sports have never lacked big-shot coaches like Maradona, but how effective they are has always been debatable.

Serbian Bora Milutinovic is probably the most famous "magic coach." He led the Chinese men's football team from 2000 to 2002, successfully led the team into the 2002 World Cup held in Japan and South Korea, realizing China's 44-year-long World Cup dream. 

However, when Milutinovic left China, China's football lost its magic. Match fixings, referee corruption, strikes and inter-team conflicts became synonymous with the sport.

Milutinovic, it seems, was the short-lived success of Chinese football.

Another good example is the former Chinese women's field hockey coach Jin Changbo.

The South Korean coach made the small Chinese team into world-class competitors. The Chinese women's field hockey team won the Women's Field Hockey Championships and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

By using severe -- even brutal -- training methods to ensure victory for the Chinese women's field hockey team, Jin brough his own career in the Middle Kingdom to an early end. The Chinese women's field hockey team terminated its contract with Jin after the Beijing Olympics. The team has since hit a downturn. 

Famous foreign coaches brought to China to help teams adopt more advanced ideas and training methods might make short-term progress, but their successes have always been temporary. The long-term prosperity and development of a sport needs structure and a solid foundation for the entire industry, not just a “savior” to single-handedly hold up a whole team.

From Milutinovic to Donewald, Chinese sports haven't been ungenerous in their hiring of famous foreign coaches. But those same coaches have yet to fix many of the underlying problems.

Unless Shenhua merely want short-term fame and victories, I’m confident to say that they don't need Maradona, or any “savior” of such.