'Tototototototo' cannot go out. It's the possibility of China qualifying for the World Cup. With the consecutive six appearances in the World Cup finals virtually impossible, they are making absurd claims.

On the 27th (Korea time), SoHu.com claimed, “It's a major turnaround. Australia violated the regulations. If China succeeds in the FIFA appeal, they can jump from last place in the group to 4th with a 3-0 forfeit win.”

After losing to Australia, China, trapped in a three-game losing streak in the third qualifying round, has 2 wins, 6 losses for a total of 6 points (goal difference -13) and has not moved from last place in the group. They have the same points as Bahrain (goal difference -8) but are significantly behind in goal difference.

China’s veteran goalkeeper Wang Dalei made a mistake by letting the ball slip through his legs, providing a chance for the opponent to score, ultimately tasting defeat.

As a result, China failed to secure a direct ticket to the World Cup finals, which is given to the top two teams in the group. Even if they win all remaining two matches, they cannot rise to 2nd place.

China does not have completely lost hope for qualification. With the number of World Cup spots allocated to the Asian region increased to 8.5 starting this tournament, if China finishes 4th in the third qualifying round, they can aim for the finals through the fourth qualifying round.

If China wins all remaining matches against Indonesia and Bahrain and examines the results of competing countries, they may qualify for the fourth qualifying round by finishing in the top 4 of the group. The away match against Indonesia is expected to be the biggest hurdle for China.

Amidst pushing to win the remaining two matches, claims arose in China that “Australia fielded an ineligible player.”

SoHu.com reported, “There is a possibility that Australia violated player registration regulations.”

Also, according to Xiaonyu Sports, the player in question is defender Cameron Burgess, born in 1995 and belonging to Ipswich Town. Since Burgess has experience playing for the Scotland youth national team in 2013, some Chinese media argue that there could be an issue with his participation as a Chinese player this time.

However, this claim seems to be rather absurd. Burgess has no experience playing for the Scotland senior national team. Youth national team experience does not affect nationality changes. He has already appeared in 11 A matches for Australia since September 2023 and participated in the Asian Cup. Since FIFA has not raised any issues so far, even if China appeals this time, the chance of a 'forfeit win' seems slim.

Nevertheless, among Chinese football fans, there are voices stating, “We must appeal to FIFA immediately.”

SoHu.com noted, “Fans hope that the Chinese Football Association will gather information and submit an official appeal.” Past cases, such as Equatorial Guinea being sanctioned for regulatory violations, were mentioned.

There are also Chinese fans facing the reality, expressing opinions such as, “This is the last chance to qualify for the fourth qualifying round,” “We should be thankful that there is still a way to qualify (for the finals),” “Even if a forfeit win is recognized, qualifying is difficult,” “They always make excuses after losing,” and “Don’t make excuses.”

[OSEN]