The Chinese Super League transfer window will close on April 12th. Teams are currently grasping for time to register new recruits. But some players can't complete the registration because of contract disputes with their old employers, or will face the embarrassing situation of playing without a ball. For example, 26-year-old right back Tong Lei, who has been training in Shandong Taishan for a long time, also appeared in the pre-season warm-up games. But according to the administrators of TransferMarket.com, Tong Lei has not yet completed the transfer formalities and has decided not to make it to the China Super Cup.
Tong Lei performed well in the Chinese Super League in the previous two seasons and was also selected for the national soccer training list. However, his old employer has been strapped for cash for the last two seasons and has had problems with defaulting on players' wages. Like other players, Tong Lei has thoughts of leaving the team. According to FIFA regulations, a player can leave the team freely by arbitration after being owed wages by the club for more than three months. Tong Lei intends to transfer to Shandong Taishan freely in this way.
However, when going through the transfer procedures, Tong Lei did not get a free certificate from his old employer and was temporarily unable to play on behalf of Shandong Taishan. For Shandong Taishan, it is a loss that the key new players cannot play in the new season, but players such as Ji Xiang and Wang Tong can cope with the games in the team's lineup. But for the players, if they can't complete the transfer procedures, it means no ball to play in the new season.
The same situation happened to Tong Lei's former teammate and current international player Li Shuai. Last season, he wanted to join Shanghai Seaport, but for the same reason, he was unable to complete the transfer procedures. In the end, he had to take half a season off until his contract with his old employer expired and he was officially registered as a Shanghai Seaport player. With less than a week to go before the start of the Chinese Super League, there isn't much time for Tong Lei to settle the formalities.
Tong Lei was born in December 1997 in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province, with a height of 1.77 meters. He comes from Zhejiang Greentown Soccer School and used to be a starter in the 97 Olympics. In the year he played, he needed a lot of games to prove himself in order to reach his position in the national soccer competition. It would be a loss for the player and the national team if there is no ball to play in the new season.
