On the morning of the 22nd, Shenzhen Football Club officially released a statement that the club could not continue to participate in the Chinese Football Professional League due to its failure to pass the 2024 season of professional league access. The statement said that in the past few years, many Shenzhen soccer players were selected for the national team at all levels, and the exciting matches left wonderful memories for our fans and friends, but serious historical debts made it difficult for us to maintain, and the journey to the league had to come to an end. The statement from the Shenzhen soccer team also marks the dissolution of the inaugural Chinese Super League champions in 2004.
Shenzhen team wrote in the announcement: "According to the list of debt clearance department announced by CFA, Shenzhen soccer department failed to pass the 2024 season of professional league access, and can not continue to participate in the Chinese soccer professional league. Since its establishment, Shenzhen Football Club has received guidance and support from the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee, the municipal government, the city and district departments concerned, and the attention and help of successive investors, fans, partners, media reporters and other people from all walks of life. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to you."
"Over the past few years, many Shenzhen soccer players have been selected for national teams at all levels. The exciting matches left great memories for fans and friends, but a serious historical debt prevented us from continuing and the league tour had to come to an end. Even if you don't give up, you need to wave goodbye. We will do our best to carry out all the aftermath work, and we sincerely wish that Shenzhen soccer and Chinese soccer will get better and better, and hope that more knowledgeable people can work together to contribute to the revitalization of Shenzhen soccer and Chinese soccer."
Data shows that Shenzhen team was founded in 1994 by famous soccer players Zeng Xuelin and Rong Zhixing. In the year of its establishment, they won the championship of the Second Division and stormed into the First Division.In 1995, they entered the First Division as champions of the First Division and the Second Division. However, the club was relegated for the first time in 1996, but the team was promoted again in 1997. In the last years of the First Division era, Shenzhen enjoyed a high point for the team.In 2001, Li Yi and Li Weifeng finished fifth in the league, and in 2002, they finished second in the league.
In 2004, a new era of Chinese soccer began in the Chinese Super League, and Shenzhen won its first Super League title. In the following season, the team reached the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League. However, the team's record declined over the next few years, and it entered the Chinese First Division in 2011. It wasn't until 2016 that the entry of the Caesar Group gave Shenzhen soccer hope for a revival once again.In the 2018 season, the Shenzhen team finished second in the Chinese First Division, but the previous season, the team once again entered the Chinese First Division. Despite qualifying for the Chinese Super League in the 2020 season, Shenzhen once again faced mismanagement and underfunding, which did not improve much over the past few seasons. In the end, the team was once again relegated last season after finishing in the bottom half of the table.
In fact, since the end of last season, the news about the Shenzhen team or will be disbanded has always existed, the release of the official announcement also confirmed the speculation. According to previous media reports, the Shenzhen team owes the players salary situation is more serious, most of the players only get one-third of the salary, and the team owes the salary of the earliest time can even be traced back to 20 months ago.
With Shenzhen officially announcing its dissolution, the two teams that were relegated from the Chinese Super League to the Central League last season will no longer participate in the professional league.On the evening of January 17, Dalian Football Club announced its dissolution. Five days later, the Shenzhen team fell behind. According to the supplementary rules, the last two teams of last season's Central League, Wuxi Wuhu and Jiangxi Lushan, were given priority to qualify for the supplementary Central League.
