Shortly after Daping Middle School of Chongqing City won the World Girls Middle School Soccer Championship in April, the media reported that the school had drafted professional soccer players on their team.
Last year, Daping Middle School only placed sixth in the national soccer games. Since participating teams have to pay their own expenses, the top five teams were not able to attend the championships because of the tight budget. The department of education sent Daping Middle School team to the championships on its own expenses.
The school contacted national youth team players to compete in the game in Turkey. The team sent to Turkey was comprised of only two middle school players, with the rest being professionals from the national team.
Daping Middle school kept a low profile and refused interviews about the world championship.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) issued a statement saying, “The issue has nothing to do with the CFA. The soccer team was delegated to the championships by the department of education. At present, several national youth players are students in the middle school. This championship has some benefits for their future participation in national competitions.”
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