Not for the Chinese the cry of "We wuz robbed!" After failing to qualify in its group for the World Cup, the national soccer team has just issued a ruthless self-criticism worthy of a communist show trial.
"Frankly we are very sad and ashamed to face the Chinese people," the Chinese team said in an abject letter to its fans. "We have let you down again. Sensing your sadness and criticism, we are overwhelmed by remorse and selfscolding. We want to say a sincere `sorry!' to everyone."
Mick McCarthy and Georges Leekens, take note. This is how to make a really contrite exit from the World Cup. As managers of Ireland and Belgium respectively, one will have to take the rap later today when his squad fails to clinch a place in the World Cup decider in Brussels.
Chinese players were booed by their own fans when they emerged for their last group game in Dalian on Wednesday against bottom team Kuwait. By then the outcome didn't matter. China won 1-0, but this was little consolation for its red army of supporters, some of whom now travel in chartered planes.
"For years, countless football fans have eagerly anticipated the day when China would rush out of Asia into the World Cup," the team said in an apologia to supporters. "But every time the wish has turned to ashes and bitter hatred. You were always concerned about how we could improve and we remember your straight criticism and frank advice with deep gratitude."
They would draw lessons from this bitter experience, the players promised. "We have already made a vow to stand up from the place where we fell down, wipe away the tears and do all we can to catch up. Please believe we will eventually offer a satisfying repayment to the people and the motherland."
Internationally, China has never done well. Frustration with the poor World Cup performance of the national team in 1986 boiled over into Beijing's only soccer riot, when fans vandalised the Workers' Stadium to protest about being put out by Hong Kong. (A quick bit of self-criticism then might have done the trick).
Professional soccer in China dates back to the 1950s when a national team trained in Hungary, but it lapsed during the Cultural Revolution, and in the 1980s they had to start all over again. Bigtime league soccer only came to China three years ago and the country has since then gone football-mad. The 28 club teams in the A and B leagues now attract huge crowds of fans with horns, klaxons and screaming voices as high as the human ear can bear.
Some 30 publications are devoted to soccer. Football World sells 300,000 copies every fortnight. On Sunday evenings from April to October two million people watch the match of the day on television. Last year the former Beijing team captain, Wang Zhongxin (36) opened the Old Players Restaurant downtown where fans now crowd in under a ceiling hung with miniature soccer balls to watch league and international games. It's the place to go to experience real depression these days.
China finished third behind Saudi Arabia and Iran in its group. Saudi Arabia qualified and Iran plays Japan for a runner-up place.