It’s that once every four years moment again. Football is the word of the day, or rather, the word of the month. To the chagrin of hundreds of millions of Chinese football fans, the pain, however, is almost as acute as the excitement: the Chinese national football team is absent in Moscow, as it has been for almost the entire history of the World Cup. We did qualify for the 2002 final though. I have to mention that.

Personally, I am not a football fan. But I do sympathize with my fellow country men and women who are puzzled by the one big question: why can’t the Chinese men’s football team make it to the World Cup?

There are multiple factors that have been raised. Basketball superstar Yao Ming is reported to have pinpointed the lack of registered Chinese players. Some put the number at a couple of thousands, which leads us to a larger question: Why are there so few registered football players out of a country of 1.3 billion people?

Others talk about the lack of football culture. It’s ironic that the sport is believed to have originated in China 2300 years ago. But the discipline, the teamwork and coordination needed for modern football, some say, are not China’s strength. It is a fact that most of the ball games China excels at involve one or two players, such as Ping-Pong.

Some point to corruption, which almost crippled the system in a major case from 2009 to 2012. Numerous top officials of the sport were sentenced to jail, deeply shaking the system. China’s football is only slowly walking out of the shadow, although the public’s trust in the sport has yet to be restored.

There also comes the pride factor. When something becomes a national obsession before the ability is there, the pressure could be too much for anyone, be it players or coaches, or officials. China only started to have football clubs two decades ago. It is still a young football country.

Maybe that’s why some domestic and international analysts have concluded that given China’s circumstances, the Chinese national team is already ahead of the game. As the country develops, our football will undoubtedly get stronger. Chinese President Xi Jinping is an ardent sports fan. Hopefully that would inspire more young people to play football or practice other sports.

So, as this World Cup season kicks off, I am happy for those who love the game, but I won’t be sad that our team is not there. That’s the way it is for now. Just enjoy the games.