On March 10, a piece of news made Chinese football anxious - Serginho, a Brazilian player who is regarded as the savior of the national football midfield, has not yet completed the withdrawal procedures due to the Brazilian Carnival, and whether he can "press" his naturalization before the AFC registration deadline on March 13 is directly related to the fate of the national football team against Saudi Arabia on March 21. This tug-of-war of naturalization, which spans three continents, is staging a realistic version of the "race against time".

The national carnival of the Brazilian Carnival (March 4-7) has become the "black humor" of Chinese football. Serginho had to renounce dual citizenship in Brazil and Italy before he could become a naturalized Chinese citizen, but the Brazilian government was shut down during the carnival and the withdrawal process was interrupted. Although the Beijing Guoan Club has applied for a temporary identity certificate for him, saying that "only the last step is missing", if he cannot get the Chinese ID card to complete the AFC registration before March 13, the top midfielder of the Chinese Super League will completely miss the battle between China and Saudi Arabia.

Wu Lei was absent due to injury, and the naturalized reinforcements were unresolved, and the tactical board of the national football coach Ivankovic was overshadowed. Serginho's value lies in his precise through-balls, set-piece threat and big-picture perspective in the transition between attack and defence, and his absence means that the national midfielder may return to the "waist weakness" dilemma. Although the existing midfielders Dai Weijun and Li Ke can fill some of the vacancies, their creativity and confrontation intensity are difficult to compare with the Chinese Super League ace worth 1.8 million euros. What's more serious is that after the away game against Saudi Arabia, the national football team needs to face Australia at home 4 days later, and the two tough battles cannot be lost.

After the carnival, the Brazilian government department resumed work on March 7, and the Chinese Football Association and the national security team have launched an emergency plan: on the one hand, they are urging Brazil to speed up the issuance of the withdrawal certificate, and on the other hand, they are preparing for a "double line" - even if the withdrawal document is slightly delayed, they will try to "squat" with temporary status materials. However, the AFC's vetting of naturalized players is known for its strictness, and if the materials are flawed, they can still fall short.

If Serginho succeeds in naturalization, he will become the "booster" for the national football team to impact the United States, Canada and Mexico World Cup; If it fails, it once again confirms the passivity of Chinese football in the coordination of international affairs. In the next three days, every second will be related to the fate of the national football team. As the fan said: "Naturalization is not a panacea, but at this moment, we need this 'quick-acting pill' so much." ”