The Chinese national football team arrived in Sydney; Shao Jiayi's call-up includes a goalkeeper with zero appearances in the Chinese Super League; Fan Zhiyi's son-in-law's identity sparks controversy.

Latest update on the Chinese national team: At 10:20 Beijing time on March 23, which is 13:20 local time on March 23 afternoon, the team, under new head coach Shao Jiayi, has landed in Sydney. The 10-hour long flight left the entire team quite fatigued, but due to extremely limited preparation time, the coaching staff decided to conduct the first training session at 15:00 Beijing time (18:00 local evening) on March 23.

It is reported that the team is staying at a hotel located far from downtown Sydney, requiring about a half-hour drive to the training ground. The Chinese team will faceCuraçao (led by Sheffield United midfielder Chen Daly)at Sydney's Accor Stadium at 14:00 Beijing time on March 27, and will faceCameroon (led by Manchester United forward Mbo Mbo)at Melbourne's AAMI Park at 14:00 Beijing time on March 31.

The Chinese team has missed three previous international match windows. The appointment of new coach Shao Jiayi brings fresh expectations. However, Shao Jiayi's call-up list includes a controversial player: Shanghai Shenhua's backup goalkeeperMa Zhen (27 years old), who has made zero appearances in the first three rounds of this season's Chinese Super League. Meanwhile, Shanghai Shenhua's starting goalkeeper, the youngerXue Qinghao (25 years old), was not selected for the national team. Instead, Ma Zhen, with zero appearances this season, received Shao Jiayi's call-up, sparking significant controversy in Chinese football circles. Fans and media are puzzled: why was a player not getting game time selected? This is partly due to his unique identity as the son-in-law of Chinese football legend Fan Zhiyi, and Shao Jiayi and Fan Zhiyi were teammates during the national team's 2002 World Cup campaign.