Zhou Peng kneels outside Jianye football club holding a placard saying 'Please hire me, I want to save the nation's soccer.

19-year-old soccer fan Zhou Peng made a dramatic plea to join Chinese Super League (CSL) club Henan Jianye, claiming that he can rescue Chinese football from the doldrums.

Zhou knelt in front of the club headquarters yesterday, holding a placard that read 'Jianye, Please hire me, I want to save the nation's soccer.

Zhou from Luoyang, in Henan province is a fanatical football fan. He plays regularly but has never had any professional training.

"I want to join Jian Ye club. You don't even need to manage me. I will organize my own training and I guarantee that in four years time I will be the best player in the club. I can save Chinese soccer," Zhou said.

The youth has made similar pleas to other Super League clubs in Shanghai, Shandong and Beijing but so far no team has offered him a place.

Zhao Tao, Jianye's assistant general manager invited Zhou into the club headquarters but Zhou preferred to remain outside.

"Zhou slammed Chinese players and coaches, and said Chinese soccer is a complete shambles. He said he just wants to make a contribution," Zhao said afterwards.

After an hour talking with club officials, Zhou left.

It is believed the club has offered him a trial and promised to take him on if he performs well.

Chinese men's football, stained by match fixing and illegal betting scandals, has become a laughing stock in the eyes of most Chinese people. The parlous state of the game in China was highlighted by the national team's failure to qualify for South Africa 2010.

There are still fans like Zhou who keep the faith and believe the national game can be revived. But the rot at the heart of Chinese soccer is systemic. No single player or club can make a difference. So while many will applaud Zhou's bold gesture, they know it will not change anything.

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