Fernando Henrique quits China national team ahead of World Cup qualifiers, as naturalised players arrive in Japan after travel delays
- Fernando Henrique has returned to Brazil just days out from China’s opening World Cup qualifier against Japan
- Returning naturalised players were stuck in Amsterdam for 24 hours on their way to Japan for their opening game
Naturalised Chinese forward Fernando Henrique has returned to Brazil just days out from China’s opening World Cup qualifier against Japan, as three other naturalised players arrive in Tokyo after a 24 hour flight delay that left them stranded in an Amsterdam airport.
In a statement, the Chinese national football team said the 29-year-old Henrique, also known as Fei Nanduo, had returned to Brazil for family reasons.
“During the layover in Amsterdam, Fei Nanduo learned of his family members’ health problems and applied to return to Brazil. After the discussion and approval of the national team coaching team, he has returned to Brazil and will unfortunately miss the following games,” the statement said.
The naturalised players, however, had been clearly upset by the travel disruptions, with Aloisio, or Luo Guofu as he is known in China, taking to social media to vent his frustrations.
“Congratulations to the organisation of the agency and CFA. You have no respect,” Aloisio posted on Weibo. “The 3 Brazilian-Chinese players, now stuck in Amsterdam where they transit, have to wait for nearly 24 hours for the next flight to Tokyo. They were not informed of this.”
In a reply, the Chinese Football Association said the disruptions were unexpected and stressed players were their top priority.
As of Monday morning the three players were believed to have joined the team in Japan. Aloisio however will be forced to sit out their opening match against Japan, after he picked up two yellow cards in previous games and was suspended.
China unveiled its new-look team over the weekend with Hong Kong-born Dai Wai-tsun becoming the first player from the city to represent China after he was named in their 27-player roster. The 22-year-old Shenzhen FC midfielder, known as Tsun Dai, has been retained from an initial 52-man training side.
China face Japan at Saitama Stadium on January 27, before a showdown with Vietnam in Hanoi on February 1. With four games remaining in the final round of the Asian qualifiers, China ranks fifth in the six-team Group B with five points and still has a glimmer of hope to make it into the 2022 World Cup.
