Women's Football Union Criticizes Lack of Team Doctor for EAFF Cup; Association Says Local Doctor Will Be Assigned

(Central News Agency, Taipei, June 3, Reporter Chen Rong-shen) The Taiwan Women's Football Players Union stated today that the national team departed for Guam to prepare for the EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualifiers without a team doctor. In response, the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) explained that due to the competition regulations limiting each team to only 7 registered staff members, they had to adopt the most streamlined and efficient personnel configuration to ensure team strength. They added that the accompanying manager and assistant coach have excellent language skills, and they have been in close communication with the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF), confirming that a local professional doctor will be assigned on match days to fully support the team's medical needs. The CTFA further stated that at the pre-match technical meeting, they met again with the doctor assigned by the tournament organizers to confirm all subsequent medical and emergency procedures. In the future, if the tournament host does not provide such medical support, the CTFA will overcome the staff quota limitation and prioritize sending a team doctor. Meanwhile, the Women's Football Union called on the Ministry of Sports to address the long-standing tolerance of the CTFA's administrative dysfunction since the era of the Sports Administration. They pointed out that the national team still lacks a full-time manager and a dedicated translator, and that promised repayment schedules have been delayed, with itemized statements not provided as per meeting resolutions, preventing players from verifying information. "Taiwan's women's football team should be competing against the world, not against internal obstacles," the union stated. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150603