Embarrassing! The New Zealand women's football team decided not to participate in the match in Taiwan due to the "poor quality of the venue." They criticized: This is a national disgrace!
讀後心得
The Chinese women's football team was originally scheduled to hold a friendly match against New Zealand on April 8 at the Kaohsiung Nanzi Football Stadium, but it was canceled due to safety issues with the venue. Although the venue had been reinforced, the New Zealand team still chose not to participate, prompting criticism from former Chinese Football Association Deputy Secretary-General Jiao Jiahong, who called it a "national disgrace." The Taiwan Football Association expressed regret and apologized for the situation, and also announced full refunds for tickets. The association pledged to improve event organization and venue management to provide a better viewing experience for fans.
The Chinese women's football team originally planned to hold the "2025 Chinese Women's International Football Invitation Tournament" against New Zealand at the Kaohsiung Nanzi Football Field on the evening of April 8. However, due to venue safety issues, the New Zealand team decided to cancel the match after arriving in Taiwan. Although the venue management attempted to strengthen the facilities during the Qingming holiday, the New Zealand team ultimately chose not to participate due to the safety of the venue not meeting standards.
The former Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Football Association and current Deputy Director of the Legislative Yuan's office expressed strong dissatisfaction, criticizing this as a "national disgrace." According to arrangements, the 2025 Asian Cup qualifiers will be held in Indonesia this June, and the EAFF E-1 East Asian Cup Women's Final is scheduled to take place in South Korea in July.
This international invitation match against New Zealand was the first home game for the Chinese women's football team in five years. However, prior to the match, the New Zealand team repeatedly communicated with the venue management and the football association regarding safety issues and made suggestions for improvements. Despite the venue management assigning additional personnel for repairs, they were still unable to meet safety requirements, leading to the final decision to cancel the match. The Taiwan Football Association expressed regret over this outcome and apologized to the fans.
It is understood that only the Taipei Athletic Field and Kaohsiung National Sports Stadium meet international competition standards, but these venues were already scheduled for other events during the invitation tournament and could not be made available. The football association has opened full refunds for fans who purchased tickets and emphasized that they will continue to improve event preparation and venue management in the future to provide fans with a stable and high-quality viewing experience.