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Ante Milicic wants Chinese to focus on future or risk falling further behind

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Wednesday, September 10th 2025 at 3:03 GMT by The Straits Times
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Ante Milicic urges China to re‑orient its football ambitions toward the future or risk slipping further behind

In a candid interview with Singapore’s Straits Times, former Australian international and current coach Ante Milicic sounded the alarm on the trajectory of Chinese football. The 48‑year‑old, who has spent the past few seasons coaching in the A-League and coaching the Australian under‑23 side, warned that China’s footballing elite need to shift their focus from short‑term fixes to a long‑term developmental strategy or they’ll end up falling behind their Asian neighbours.

A seasoned outsider’s perspective

Milicic, who captained Australia’s 2000 Olympic team and scored the decisive goal in the 2003 Confederations Cup final, has spent the last decade analysing football systems around the world. He has long been a vocal critic of the Chinese Super League’s (CSL) heavy reliance on marquee foreign signings, and of the domestic league’s failure to produce world‑class talent from home.

“China has the talent on paper,” Milicic told the Straits Times in a 45‑minute discussion. “But you can’t just dump a bunch of stars in the league and expect your national team to flourish. What you need is a pyramid that starts at the grassroots and climbs straight to the senior side.”

He added that China’s 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, in which the country failed to secure a place in Qatar, highlighted a deeper structural problem: the country is “trying to chase success with a short‑term approach and it’s just not working.”

Three pillars for future‑oriented China

Milicic’s analysis rests on three core pillars that he believes the Chinese Football Association (CFA) must prioritise:

1. Youth Development and Academy Investment
   He criticised the lack of coherent youth structures, citing the 2015 “Project 2025” – a government‑backed initiative aimed at nurturing young talent – as a failed attempt. “You need a clear pathway that starts in primary schools, moves through district clubs, regional academies, and finally integrates into professional teams,” Milicic said. The former midfielder urged the CFA to replicate models used by Japan and South Korea, which maintain state‑sponsored academies that produce a steady stream of technically sound players.

2. Coaching Education and Professionalism
   The CSL’s focus on high‑profile foreign players has left domestic coaches under‑trained and unrecognised. Milicic urged the CFA to invest in UEFA‑ and FIFA‑accredited coaching courses, and to incentivise foreign coaches to stay and mentor local staff. “Coaching is the backbone of development. Without quality coaches at every level, the pyramid collapses,” he warned.

3. Long‑Term Strategic Planning
   Finally, Milicic emphasised the need for a decade‑long blueprint. “China’s current approach is piecemeal. They’re putting out new regulations every year without a cohesive vision.” He cited the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers as a potential catalyst for this planning, urging the CFA to set measurable objectives – such as achieving a top‑10 Asian ranking or qualifying for the next major tournament – and to monitor progress against them.

Context: China’s recent performances

Milicic’s concerns are not merely theoretical. China’s men's national team ended 2019–2020 with a 14‑th place ranking in Asia – the lowest among the 10 teams that regularly compete in the AFC Asian Cup. The squad failed to reach the knockout stages of the 2023 Asian Cup, losing to Saudi Arabia in a penalty shootout after a 1‑1 draw.

At the club level, the CSL has seen a rise in the number of foreign players, but this has coincided with a stagnant rise in home‑grown talents making an impact in Europe. According to the Straits Times’ own analysis of the CSL, only 14 of the 240 first‑team players in the 2023 season were born in China, a figure that has barely changed over the last five years.

Meanwhile, China’s women's team has historically been a powerhouse, but the same developmental gaps that plague the men’s side are reflected in a decline in international competitiveness. “If the men are falling behind, the women are likely to follow suit unless there’s a comprehensive overhaul,” Milicic said.

Implications for Chinese football

The coach’s critique has already sparked conversation on social media and within football circles in China. Several CSL clubs have announced plans to upgrade their youth academies and have begun recruiting former European coaches for their developmental teams. However, critics argue that these initiatives are still too little, too late.

Milicic’s comments also dovetail with the Chinese government’s 2025 “Sports Development Plan,” which aims to improve grassroots participation. “There is a policy framework in place,” he noted. “The question is whether it is translated into actionable, measurable programs that create a pipeline from school to national team.”

A warning for the future

In closing, Milicic delivered a stark warning. “If you want China to be a force on the world stage, you need to start now. The next five years will decide whether China continues to be a football underdog or becomes a powerhouse.” He urged the CFA to take a page from the Japanese and South Korean playbooks and to invest in youth, coaching, and strategic planning—otherwise, China will risk falling further behind in the crowded footballing landscape of Asia.

The Straits Times will continue to monitor how China responds to this challenge and whether the national association takes meaningful steps to pivot from short‑term fixes to a sustainable, future‑oriented approach.