THE latest joke poking fun at Chinese soccer's mediocre rankings goes like this: Paul the oracle octopus, which accurately predicted Germany's World Cup matches and the final, kills itself by banging against the glass of its tank.

The seer is driven to suicide when presented with two cases from which to choose, each containing his favorite clams and oysters. But the national flags on both of the cases are Chinese, posing the biggest headache ever for this tentacled prophet.

After one hour of pondering, the octopus decides to end his life and thus perpetuates the mystique surrounding his incredible winning streak, which has enamored and awed the world.

The punch line provokes not only bursts of laughter. To millions of disillusioned Chinese mainland soccer fans gripped by the "In Paul We Trust" cult, it confirms the belief that China's soccer prospects are doomed.

But China's soccer chief begged to differ, and in a way that raised eyebrows. Wei Di, head of China's Football Association, has formally announced his intention to bid for the World Cup in 2026.

"Everyone has been debating whether China should bid for the World Cup or when to bid, but seeing how successfully South Africa hosted it, I have to say that China has no reason not to bid and now is the best time," Wei said in an interview published in a major sports tabloid Titan Sports on July 16.

While Wei's recent predecessors had invariably harbored ambitions of hosting the World Cup - all no more than ambitions - he obviously expects more from a bid than just a fast track to career advancement.

For a sport that was not long ago still languishing and going no where in China due to rampant match-fixing and gambling, the World Cup represents the game's best chance of redemption for its sins - or so Wei would have us believe.

Some may question how serious Wei is about realizing the World Cup dream. Given his track record of shoving very unpopular ideas down people's throats even after they were mercilessly jeered, I would say very. But being sincere is only one of a host of prerequisites for bringing home the World Cup.

As things stand, China's odds of securing the bid for the World Cup in 2026 hinge primarily on the failure of its fellow Asian Football Confederation (AFC) members - Japan, South Korea, Australia and Qatar - to secure the bid for the tournament in 2022.

According to FIFA's unwritten rule of rotating the host country by continent, countries on the same continent as those that had hosted the two preceding World Cup finals are automatically disqualified from submitting a bid. According to FIFA logic, if one of the bidding AFC members won 2022, then China's World Cup campaign would be over before it could start.

Good news

The good news is that the country has almost everything - almost, except for soccer prowess - in its war chest to impress FIFA officials.

Basking in the afterglow of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, China is the darling of the global sports community. This enduring good publicity can certainly be leveraged and parlayed into an advantage in the competition for the World Cup host bid.

Moreover, China boasts an increasingly sophisticated transport network capable of moving people around the country within hours; The Olympics also left behind plentiful superb football stadiums that can rival any top-tier facilities in Europe.

On top of all these merits, China remains one of a few economic powerhouses that have yet to be chosen to host the beautiful game's largest tournament.

To raise the standard of how soccer is played in the world's most populous nation, FIFA knows it has to offer something exceptionally tantalizing. That's exactly what's on their minds when some senior FIFA officials ogle China during heated speculation over its World Cup gambit.

Julio Grondona and Peter Velappan, both deputy chairmen of FIFA, have recently vowed support for China should it bid for the 2026 World Cup.

But again, their reason has more to do with quantity of fans, not quality, of Chinese soccer. They say China has enough excellent football enthusiasts, although Chinese football is much less remarkable, People's Daily's Website reported on July 22.

Immense as the fan base is, Chinese fans are divided over the proposed World Cup bid. Some consider it a silver lining for Chinese soccer. Others remain skeptical of how big a difference a month-long event could make to a seemingly hopeless laggard.

Fans certainly don't take too kindly to humiliation at home. Currently ranked 78th in the world, China - if elected to run the 2026 tournament - might fare even worse than South Africa, arguably the weakest host squad in the World Cup's history. Nobody wishes to see their own team thrashed on their own soil.

Messrs Grondona and Velappan should have moderated their praise of Chinese soccer fans had they learned of a frenzied fan's brazen attack on a referee for doing his job last Saturday.

For those still reeling from the World Cup excitement, having to endure TV broadcasts of tedious domestic leagues is a real drag. It's ironical that fisticuffs on the pitch sometimes add drama to boring matches.

In a Chinese Super League match in Qingdao last Saturday, a spectator went berserk over what he saw as crooked refereeing. He rushed onto the pitch, violently kicked the ref and punched a linesman.

The source of his rage? Two home team's players were sent off in rapid succession, one for a phantom foul and the other a lunging tackle that nearly maimed an opposing footballer. However, the assailant's act of sheer barbarism was greeted with gruesome roars of applause.

Soccer hooliganism is mainly a European malady, and festers when pints of lager course through fans. China has its share of the scourge when fans feel matches are rigged against them. Verbal and physical violence can be vindicated all in the name of fighting injustice, even though it might only be imagined injustice.

Fearing a backlash, China's football officialdom didn't take any action against the home team for letting such violence occur inside its stadium. But at a time when it is supposed to take a zero-tolerance stance on violence, its inaction will only diminish its credibility, not the other way around.

What's the point of hosting the World Cup if domestic soccer is still a mess?

Homer famously said, "There is a strength in the union even of very sorry men." I have no doubts about how sorry Chinese footballers or brutish fans are. Yet I have serious misgivings about their unity and discipline.

Until that changes, expect me to dismiss the World Cup idea even when there seems to be a groundswell of support.