Millions of Chinese love this beautiful game FOOTBALL, then why do they struggle with it?

With a population of 1.3 billion, you'd think that there would be 11 people in China who are good enough to put up a fight on the football pitch.

But apparently not. Since 2002, the last -- and only -- time it made it to the World Cup finals, Team China has struggled internationally. A nadir came in June last year, when the side lost a home game 5-1 against a Thai side made up largely of youth team players.

Their sorry showing on the football pitch is cause for despair, ridicule and frustration.

It's not for lack of trying, however.

Imported pedigree

It's often considered an issue of leadership, with flashy, expensive foreign hires typically made to steer the national team. In 2011, amid towering expectations, ex-Real Madrid legend Jose Antonio Camacho was appointed. He was tasked leading China to the 2014 World Cup, but was instead sacked two years later, following that humiliation at the hands of the Thais. With that result, it was considered that he'd left the team worse off than when he started.

To make matters worse, the Spaniard was then handed a $4 million severance package.
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Others say it's the national league that is to blame. Trailing far behind Europe's top leagues in the popularity stakes, the Chinese Super League has again looked outside for help.

In order to boost the profile -- and credibility, following a string of attendance-sapping scandals -- of the country's national league, David Beckham, was recruited to boost China's footballing spirit. The former Manchester United and England star is the closest thing the sport has to royalty, and enjoys a fanatic following in the mainland; it was hoped that some of his stardust would rub off on the Super League.

Cash injections

Another recent push came in the form of the creation of the Evergrande International Football School, which claims to be the world's largest sporting academy.

Property tycoon Xu Jiayin, who owns China's most successful club, Guangzhou Evergrande F.C., opened the school in late 2012 to incubate young football talent on a 167-acre campus.

Despite these moves, industry insiders say China is a long way from making it back to the World Cup.