To retrieve its image, the Football Association has set clear Olympic goals: the men's football team to make it out of the group stage and the women's team to reach the semifinals.

The Chinese football team's defeat in the 20-team World Cup qualifiers has made the top levels of the General Administration of Sport very dissatisfied. Moreover, regarding the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games competitions, the higher-ups in the Football Association also deeply feel the pressure. At yesterday's (August 25th) morning internal Olympic mobilization meeting for the Football Association, Xie Yalong, representing the leadership of the Football Association, explicitly stated: "In the Beijing Olympics, the football events absolutely must not cause any more trouble."