In the 2023 season, the "Chinese Super League champions" could not enter the 2023 season of the Asian Championship, Shanghai seaport once became a joke. However, the harbor is also in Shanghai. Even if you can not play the Asian Championship, still proud of Asia. In the eyes of the authoritative media, the Chinese Super League is still the strongest, there is no one. Refuse to accept? You have to accept it! It's so awesome.
Recently, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics released the top 20 Asian clubs (above). South Korea's K-League has the most teams on the list with 6 teams. Japan's J-League also has five teams on the list, while the Chinese Super League and Saudi Arabia League both have three teams on the list. In addition, the Thai Premier League, Iranian League and UAE League each have one team.
Shanghai Harbor (10th), Zhejiang (13th) and Shandong Taishan (15th) are the three Chinese Super League (CSL) teams ranked in the top 20 in Asia. Interestingly, last year's Super League champions Wuhan Sanzhen missed out on the top 20, but Shanghai, who were eliminated in the AFC Champions League qualifying round, are ranked 10th in Asia, making them the highest-ranked team in the Super League.
The Thai Premier League team that eliminated Shanghai, Pathum United, couldn't even touch the threshold of the top 20 in Asia. The highest ranked team in the Thai Premier League is Buriram, the same as Shandong Taishan. This shows that even if Shanghai can't play the AFC Champions League, the International Federation of Soccer History and Statistics still officially recognizes Shanghai as the number one team in the Chinese Super League and one of the top ten teams in Asia.
Shanghai can be said to be focused on winning the Chinese Super League this season. Only two foreigners started in the AFC Champions League qualifying rounds, which seems to despise the Thai Super League teams, but is more like giving up early. Because there is no AFC Champions League and FA Cup constraints, they can run full steam ahead to the Super League trophy.
Unfortunately, fans thought that this year's Premier League would do its best and that the Big4 would do its best to wash away the various indignities of the AFC Champions League's previous seasons. Unexpectedly, the strongest team in the Chinese Super League was the first to withdraw, casting a shadow over the future of the Big3 AFC Champions League. We can't know how to make a choice in Hong Kong. Fans can come to a conclusion, either out of voluntary abandonment or helplessness to lose - the nest.
In the past, we always say that Japanese and Korean teams do not pay attention to the Asian Championship, now the Chinese Super League really do not respect the Asian Championship. In the final analysis, the power of "gold dollar soccer" is very big, the camel is bigger than a horse, the decline of the Chinese Super League there are still three teams in the Asian ranking of the top 20, I'm afraid that in a few years, it is estimated that there is not even one. To be honest, not playing the Asian Championship to Hong Kong is really a violent thing.
