BEIJING - You get what you pay for. Or, in this case, what you don't.

Chinese soccer is paying a debt that has accumulated for more than 10 years, former national team star Sun Jihai said in an interview with China Daily.

"When I played against Asian teams like Japan, South Korea and Iran, I didn't feel I was inferior to them. Instead, I felt I had advantages, though from the perspective of the team, we needed to improve our strategy and cooperation as a whole," Sun said. "But, nowadays, we are not in the same league as them.

"I'm sure Chinese soccer is paying a debt. If we don't make up our minds to eradicate the ailments, we will continue to pay for them and face bigger tasks in the future," he said.

The Chinese national team slumped to a new low after missing out on reaching the final round of World Cup Asian Zone qualifications for the third consecutive time in November. The women's team and men's Olympic team also stumbled on the international stage.

"The losses are not the main reason (for the slide of Chinese soccer) - it's the sport's overall decline in China," Sun said. "For example, if you want to make a meal, you need ingredients, sauce and a pan, you cannot make it without any one of them. It's unfair to blame the defeats as the sole aspect of China's soccer woes."

Sun said the Chinese Super League (CSL) was a part of the problem, and that it needs to assist in youth development.

"We call our league 'super' and 'professional," he said. "'Super' is just a name, the word 'professional' is what matters. Have all the parts of our league, including league organizers, club investors, players, fans and the media, lived up to the word 'professional'?

"Some people say the Chinese league is pseudo-professional - I'm not saying I agree with them, but there are many unprofessional aspects in the Chinese league and they manifest the problems," Sun said. "There are still some clubs which owe wages to players, and nobody stands up and solves the problem. How can players play professionally without the security they deserve?

"We must cure the league through proper operations, but it's as if no one is willing to take up the responsibility, and so it will take us more time to pay the debt," he said. "Today's consequences are a result of yesterday's unprofessional acts, and the tree planted yesterday produced today's fruit."

Sun also said the absence of Chinese players from European leagues was also a result of China's negligence when it comes to soccer development.

"You can hardly reap fruits without planting the tree in the right way," he said. "Our league was prosperous from 1994, when the professional league began, to 2000. A lot of fans liked the league and the clubs made good investments. That was the time to provide talented players with a favorable growing environment and fertile soil.

"But our league is not as good now as it was 10 years ago. The fans and players are not satisfied with it. If the seeds are sown in salty soil, even the best farmer cannot reap a quality harvest," Sun said.

China Daily