Naturalized players draw attention as CSL set to kick off

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail SHINE, February 26, 2019
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Naturalized football players to play in Chinese super league in 2019.

With the 2019 Chinese Super League season kicking off in just a few days, a batch of young players is drawing attention from fans, media and even national team officials — they are naturalized players, newcomers in China's top-tier football league.

The players are of Chinese descent or have immediate family members who are Chinese, but used to be foreign nationals, playing and training abroad. To play for CSL clubs, they have changed their nationality — or are in the process of changing their nationality — to Chinese so as not to take up their clubs' foreign-player quota.

Currently there are three confirmed naturalized players in the CSL — the Beijing Guo'an duo Hou Yongyong and Li Ke, as well as Guangzhou Evergrande's Tyias Browning.

The introduction of naturalized players has the support of the Chinese Football Association. The players are mostly in their early 20s. If they prove themselves to be competitive after playing in the CSL for a few years, some may get a chance to represent China on the international stage or even at the World Cup, if China makes it that far.

Having naturalized players in the national team and top-tier league clubs is common in some Asian countries like Japan and Iran, but it's a new thing for China.

Hou made history for naturalized players in China when he made his debut during Beijing's CFA Super Cup clash against Shanghai SIPG in Suzhou on Saturday. He came on as a substitute in the 71st minute with his team trailing 0-2.

The 21-year-old midfielder has played in the Norwegian league and represented Norway at the youth level. His mother is Chinese, which allowed Hou to gett Chinese citizenship last month.

Though he did not turn around the team's fortune or result on Saturday, Hou was the center of attraction after he was seen singing the national anthem along with his teammates before the match. But in post-match interviews, the youngster switched to English.

"This was a very meaningful day for me and I am proud to be playing as a Chinese... I am not at my best yet, and I believe things will become better in the future," said Hou.

Beijing's other naturalized player Li Ke, who was previously known as Nicholas Harry Yennaris, also has a Chinese mother. The 25-year-old defensive midfielder started his career at the academy of English Premier League side Arsenal, and represented England at the U17 and U19 levels.

Evergrande's Browning was cultivated by another EPL side Everton. The 24-year-old defender has represented England up to the U20 level. He was playing on loan for first-tier Sunderland before joining Evergrande.

Evergrande has also signed Peruvian winger Roberto Siucho, who is yet to be announced as a naturalized player since paperwork procedures are still under way. The 22-year-old's grandfather hailed from Guangdong Province. Siucho represented Peru at the U17 and U20 levels.

Shandong Luneng is also expected to announce a naturalized player on its roster once document procedures are completed.

The CFA hopes the introduction of naturalized players will help Chinese football to develop in a more diversified way. Time will prove how well these players will fit into their new identities and show their value on the domestic stage.

The first round of CSL matches starts this weekend, with Shanghai SIPG begining the defense of its title with a derby clash against Greenland Shenhua at the latter's Hongkou Football Stadium on Friday. Last year's runner-up Evergrande takes on Tianjin Tianhai in Guangzhou.

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