By Huang Jingjing

Three top Chinese leaders recently talked about football in public, which some saw as an indication that there is a change ahead for the widely denounced Chinese Football Association. To many, that could create a new momentum to turn football's lackluster presence in the country into a wildly popular sport.

"Chinese football needs to continue to carry forward the 'Zhixing Style'," President Hu Jintao said during a meeting with a group of sportsmen and coaches who made headlines in China during the past 60 years.

The president met with Rong Zhixing and others before the 11th All China Games opened Friday in Jinan, Shandong Province, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Rong, born in 1948, was a national football player starting in 1972. Starting in 1979, Rong was named one of the top 10 sportsmen of China for three concessive years.

In a FIFA World Cup qualifiers match with Kuwait in 1982, Rong insisted on playing even though his leg had dozens of stitches. He helped the team win 3 to 0.

The victory encouraged the Chinese and Rong became a hero. And his achievement was then dubbed "Zhixing Style."

Tong Jianqiang, a commentator, said on Tuesday on his blog at sohu.com that the spring of Chinese football is coming.

"The senior officials have talked about the development of Chinese football at different times and different places. It indicates that the Central Government has put the development of football on the agenda of the top leadership," he wrote.

At a separate event two days ago, Liu Yandong, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and State councilor, presided at a national working forum in Qingdao on football development.

¬We need to find what impedes the sport's development and seek a better solution to increase its level," she said.

On October 12, Vice President Xi Jinping, a football fan, also talked about the nation's determination to upgrade its football when he visited Bayer Group in German during his European tour.

"After the Beijing Olympic Games, China has made a decision to improve football talent. Since we could obtain gold medals in many other sports, we believe we can make it in football if we are determined to improve it. But the process will be long," Xi said.

Xi added that China has first-class football fans and a potential market, but the Chinese level of skill is lacking.

Soccer fraud, umpires who abuse their powers, and aggressive behavior on the field have plagued Chinese football in recent years and many football fans feel let down. CCTV even cancelled live broadcasts of the Chinese Super League for a year.

"I seldom watch Chinese Super League. Their skills are not good, furthermore many players lost professional ethics," Liang Yu, a football fan, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

He said that some players and coaches always put money first and that leads to fraud and umpire tampering.

Rong Zhixing told Shenzhen-based Daily Sunshine newspaper that he and other retired football players are devoted to cultivating football players in Guangdong Province.

"Our goal is to set up 10,000 football teams and cultivate 1,000 coaches across the province within 10 years," Rong said.

Nationwide, many youth football teams, which disappeared for years, were kicking again after the Beijing Olympics. The government plans to invest tens of thousands of yuan into campus football programs each year, according to the China National Radio.