In recent years, the Chinese Super League (CSL) has been hit by a severe economic crisis, resulting in many once-lucrative clubs having to dissolve helplessly. This season, some long-established and powerful clubs, such as Shanghai Harbour, Shandong Taishan and Beijing Guoan, have also been rumored to be under unstable management, with some even claiming that Shanghai Harbour might be dissolved by the end of the year. However, it is reassuring to see that with public statements from Shanghai Harbour and Guoan's parent company, it will continue to pump money into the team. At least next season, the Chinese Super League won't have to worry about a strong team exiting the league.
Not long ago, some media revealed that due to Beijing Guoan club's serious deficit, its parent company Zhonghe is looking for new shareholders and does not rule out transferring the club. However, according to the latest news, Zhonghe is not planning to quit the club. Although the team missed the Asian Champions League next season, Zhonghe will continue to inject money into the team. Moreover, there is no intention from any organization to transfer the club to ZTE.
Coincidentally, since the end of August, rumors that Shanghai Port might be abandoned by the Shanghai Port Group and possibly disbanded by the end of the year have also been rampant due to the sudden drop in records. It was at that time that the former Shanghai Port Group president was arrested and the team was in a timely slump, so the rumor was rampant for a while. Fortunately, in the 29th round of the league, Shanghai HK drew with Shandong Taishan at home and won the CSL title early. The Shanghai Hong Kong Group also came forward at this time and promised to continue to increase its investment in the club, which officially completed the refutation of the rumor.
Although neither SIPG nor CSL have invested as much as they did in the golden dollar era of the CSL, they are still in the upper echelons of the league in today's cold soccer winter. Maintaining these "big" investors will be crucial to the CSL's future development. Currently, Shanghai SIPG and Zhonghe Group have both indicated that they will continue to invest in soccer, which is arguably a reassuring sign for the CSL. After all, the professional league has just gone through a turbulent period and cannot afford sudden changes.
