Yao will inherit a CTFA that desperately needs to get itself going in the right direction. In the last few days alone, it has been criticized by the country’s female players union for not being prepared for the vital World Cup play-offs and also had to issue an apology after a player was incorrectly called up for a mens national team practice.

In the build up to the election, the CTFA was also accused of owing TWD 23.8M (roughly USD $700,000k) in unpaid fees to its broadcasting partner. Although the association’s debts had also been dramatically reduced in the last year, the CTFA is believed to be anywhere from TWD 20M – 60M in the red.

Following what appeared to be a cordial election campaign, Yao beat Tsang by a 2:1 voting majority.

Tsang, the chairman of Valkyrie FC in the Mulan League, took over the chairmanship of the CTFA when his own predecessor was forced out after the public resignation of then national team coach, Huang Che-ming. To his credit, Chang helped steady the ship and began to reduce the CTFA’s debt as well as providing support to the women’s national team, who still have a fighting chance of making it to the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

But problems still remain on both administrative and financial levels, which is something Yao will be well aware of. A keen amateur player, Yao has been around Taiwanese football in various capacities for decades and his run as an independent candidate suggests that local administrators want a new approach to reforming the CTFA.

In his election campaign, Yao promised improved financial conduct, a more streamlined set-up for the domestic leagues and an overhaul of the country’s youth football set-up. How much of this can be achieved during his tenure remains to be seen but for now at least, there is new optimism within Taiwanese football.

Photo Credit: Zhang Keming (via GoGoal)