THAT CHINESE SOCCER TEAM

NZ Truth, Issue 935, 27 October 1923, Page 9

THAT CHINESE SOCCER TEAM

Some Inside Information

NEW ZEALAND LEFT LAMENTING

: The secret history of the Genesis and Exodus of the recent Chinese Soccer football team is packed with incidents m which the operation known as Diamond .cut Diamond figured prominently says : the "Sportsman."

< The idea of bringing a Chinese football team _to tour Australasia was originally conceived and financed m New Zealand. A syndicate of New Zealand sportsmen put their heads and their r rribney • together, and decided to run a League Chinese football team

..... AS A SPECULATION. With this object m view they, put up, at one-time or another, about £1200 or £ 1500 Y for preliminary expenses, • and dispatched .the wellrknown- League footballer Le's. Cubitt. to. ; China to make the preliminary, arrangements; „; .

.- L&jUiU just \ here it may- as well be stated. tliat. the scheme- was doomed- to fn iiure. from' the buteet., ,'-.'An jrpne famiiiar- '^ylth'rthe f East— atid' there are hundred's .' of •such people m Australia and New Zealand-^dnyone. familiar with the East, we say, could have told the New Zealand syndicate that they were as likely to get a team of' League footballers m. China as to get a. team of parsons -out, of a. two-up school — perhaps;.less likely, The Chinese and all Eastern- nations only favor prie branch of football, namely, Soccer, which is spread- all> over the world by the visits of, warships:]

i However, the New Zealand speculators- DUt.up: their money, and sent Cubitt on-; his mission.} It is an old saying, that money talks, but m this case . : .-. , .^\ , MONEY I)iD NOT > EVEN THINK. Cubitt appareritiy'did' the best he could to get a team, but his progress reports did hot, inspire the syndicate with any optimism: or enthusiasm. His communications from thbr Celestial Empire consisted mainly of tfjipeajs for more money, and- after ' the syndicate had advanced upwards of £1200 they were appalled by a noticp m the Press that tho -idea of , tjringin'g a League team had been abandoned, and that Cubitt would endeavor to bring out a Soccer team. . The New Zealanders naturally went off the ,deep ..end" at being confronted .with this "disastrous collapse of their hopes, and, they employed a New Zealand, solicitor to "'try to get them their m'qiiey — or some" of it — bi.'k out of the profits of T.he Soccer venture. „■■'•'■■: '-'■■'■ 'It -'^ ,■'''■ X " " This solicitor went -/to. Sydney and called at "Sportsman" office, m search of information as to the exact 'financial standing of • the Chinese Soccer venture...- He also, employed a leading firm of Sydney {solicitors to inquiries and to try, if possible, to get the New Zealanders soirje of their money ' bac|c. . After looking pretty fully into thft thing, He" decided that it was bos't toTjflrite off the venture

>„'■.', AS A DEAD LOSS, and ,-Hffr v/eni back to New Zealand without evert* waiting to see BaUymenii Win tho A;J;C. Derby. And just here tho New" #ettlaiKl syndicate drops out of tlie stoit-y ~"i<ff*" "good,' sent Cubitt over, only to find that ho \>ais sending Soccer players instead of League players for which their souls hungered. They have lost their money, and they are now sadder and wiser men..:

. In .fairness to Cubitt it should be explained that he' frankly admitted that he could not get a League team, and that the venture had failed. Rather than come home having mado an absolute, .failure of the trip, he switched over to the Soccer venture, and made a success of it; but that is not much consolation to the New . Zealanders, who put up their money for a League (earn, and had nothing-r-not even bananas— to show for it. >

So much for the New Zealanders and their troubles. Now follows the history of the Soccer venture.

i When the" Chinese Srfccer, team was first mooted it was. supposed by most people identified with Soccer m Sydney that the team would be financed and managed, by the New South Wales Soccer .Association; but that body is not over-strong financially, and possibly it found difficulty m financing the heavy preliminary expenses. Anyhow, it appeared one day m the Press that the Chinos© Soccer team was not coming, and that this venture, like the League enterprise.

, WAS DOOMED TO FAILURE. There appear," however, to have been some people with enterprise or Informatton f to guide their actions, and they promptly formed a syndicate to run I*o team -i« a financial sper"l n Uon. Three or four of the leading lights In the . Australian Soccer Association are credited with being shareholders In the syndicate, and the other Soccer Association magnates want to know exactly how it waa that the venture was allowed to slip out of the control of the Association into the hands of private speculators. The Association put m something like six or seven hundred pounds towards the expenses of the team, but the bulk of the money waa found by private epeoulators. The accounts of the tour have not yet been audited and found correct, but it Is expected that tho syndicate will show a prcflt of anything from 100 to 160 per cunt. on their money, If these predictions are Vflriflod, the syndicate that financed the Chinese tour will have reason to shake hands with itself; but some supporters of Soccer m Sydney want to know "whaffor." They want to know why the Chinese venture was allowed to drlh lnro tho hands of private speculators. The matter will not bo thrashed out till the Soccer Association meeting m February, but when Hint meeting comes round, tho mun who Is goalkeeping i'or tho syndicate will have to stop a few hot shots. As for the New Zealandevs and their troubles— well, nobody seems to be worrying much about them.

The increased interest being taken m cricket m Canterbury is evidenced 1>" tho fact that whereas 56 teams took part last year m the various competitions under the C.C.A banner. Oi; entries have been received tor tho lurreut season.

Beside the great Jack, ttiiother of the Gregory family. Don., will piny cricket for Mnnly this year. The younger brother is a fine cricketer, whose rise has been rapid. Two yearn ago he played with the Sydney Club'o .st-cond grade team.