1. What punishments will be levied on FZD, Ma Long, and XX (and to a lesser extent to some of the other coaches like Ma Lin). Will it ever be possible for people not close to the CNT to actually even know?
We don't know. Everyone is guessing. My guess is penalty money and suspension of international matches (AT LEAST 3 months, may be longer). Someone even guesses the punishment is to expel them out of CNT 1st team - then the top three players in the world will be in CNT 2nd team. How ironic.
Another thing worth considering is whether they will get double punishment from ctta/GSA and ittf. I don't know what role ittf will play in it and what side they are on. From the statement they sent on July 25 I feel like they are not on the players' side.
There's no public announcement about the punishment. But you guys all know they sent the apology letter - this is a sign indicating that their professional career as CNT players are not over. Let's hope for the best!
2. Will these players compete in the next big platinum event, the Australian open?
My guess is NO. But b/c the Australian Open is right on the corner, I believe the punishment announcement will be delivered before this tournament.
3. Has the CTTA or anyone official said anything more specific about why they wanted to get rid of LGL, or is it all still just rumor and innuendo.
No. This is the CORE of the whole incident. I'll integrate it with Question 5.
4. Is the criticism of Gou Zhongwen getting louder in the Chinese netiverse, or is it dying down? Will he keep his job, or will he get transferred to something like head of National Physics Research or something?
It's getting louder! People on weibo find all kinds of evidence showing how ridiculous some of his new policies are.
Let me get to the core of the whole incident. I'll try to present a more holistic picture. I'll point out facts and speculation.
Facts: Gouzhongwen wants to do reform on all Chinese sports teams. Getting rid of head coaches is one component of "reform" on Chinese TT team. Coaches work as a group and there will be one "lead coach". As a consequence, LGL left the team and was appointed VP of ctta (this position has no actual power at all), and QZJ lost his job as head coach of CNT men's team
Speculation: The three players are not fighting for LGL, they are fighting against the "reform".
Facts: As guys on this forum know, CNT has a long-lasting system to select, train, and develop players. The system is always Main coach (LGL) - Head coach (QZJ, previously LGL) - Coach (WH, M Lin, etc.) - Players. Players and coaches compete with each other but also help each other. Before and after big matches there will be a meeting in which all main players and coaches attend and everyone offers suggestions on each other about how to improve. There are rules and opportunities for young players to be selected into 2nd team, players in 2nd team to be selected into 1st team, players in 1st team to be selected to compete in big events such as WTTC (e.g., Marvelous 12 trials), etc. This whole system is apparently very successful - just look at how many medals CNT has won in OG and WTTC, and look at the fact that competitors in finals (e.g., ML and FZD) are practicing with each other right before the match.
Speculation: The "reform" will change many things about the team. Now there are no main and head coaches, officials in GSA can directly speak with the "lead coach" and intervene all aspects of CNT - how to select players, how to train players, etc. Remember that the lead coach is still one of the coaches and he/she don't have real authority. What will CNT be like in the future? Someone without expertise will lead and guide the whole team! How to guarantee that the best players will be selected and the whole team will have high cohesion?
My own words: The slogan of CNT is: the honor of the country is above anything. If the top three players don't speak up, they will still play as usual and they will not be affected very much by the reform - they are the best and GSA need them for OG and WTTC. Its the next generation that will be most affected. But they still speak up, with the potential to sacrifice their whole professional career in CNT. They speak up not only for LGL, but also for the team's future. That's why people on Chinese media treat them as heroes fighting for the country.
5. How are they going to reorganize the TT teams moving forward? Will the head coach actually be a former TT player or will they install someone from another sport or will they just not have anyone really in charge, and in that case, will they move towards a trial system for team selection at major world events that is more like other countries, or will they just use The Force?
