The CFA and the preparatory group of CFA held an online meeting with the clubs of the Chinese Super League, the Chinese First League and the Chinese Second League on the 3rd of March in an emergency. At the end of the meeting, CFA officially released the notice of the work related to the 2022 season of the Chinese Super League, the Chinese First League and the Chinese Second League, and unveiled the list of clubs that will be admitted to the three levels of the league in the 2022 season, and also introduced the solution to the clubs' salary arrears and the corresponding punishment measures.
According to Xinhua News Agency, a total of 18, 17 and 22 clubs have passed the admission audits for the 2022 season for the Chinese Super League, the Chinese First Division and the Chinese Second Division respectively. Unfortunately, China A Guizhou Football Club and China B Sichuan Minzu Football Club failed to gain access for the new season. Guizhou FC did not comply with the AFC's access regulations because it failed to resolve international wage arrears over the deadline, while Sichuan Minzu FC missed the qualification because it failed to submit its access materials on time.
Meanwhile, Jinan Xingzhou Football Club, Nantong Haimen Kejiayuan Football Club, Tai'an Tian Kuang Football Club, Hainan Star Professional Football Club and Wuhan Jiangcheng Football Club, which took part in the Chinese Championship League last year, have all gained the qualification for the new season's Chinese B League.
Next, the CFA and CFF preparatory team will finalize the teams for all levels of professional leagues based on the actual situation of the clubs' participation confirmation.
The access work for the 2022 season pays special attention to the problem of salary arrears that exists in some clubs. In order to protect the interests of the players and the actual operation of the clubs, the CFA has introduced a phased program to resolve the wage arrears, which not only resolutely protects the legitimate rights and interests of the players, coaches and staff of the clubs, and urges the clubs to resolve the wage arrears as soon as possible, but also takes into consideration the operation of the clubs, and gives a certain time limit for the resolution, so that it can raise funds to improve the operation, and promote the reform with the help of the power of the local government and the social parties.
Accordingly, some clubs with wage arrears have also been conditionally granted access after submitting specific solutions. At the same time, in order to protect the interests of the players, the CFA has formulated detailed solutions and related penalties for such clubs in respect of wage arrears.
The CFA clearly requires that clubs should not have new wage arrears in the 2022 season. For the salary arrears in the 2021 season and before, three time nodes were set: 30% of the total salary arrears to be resolved before July 31, 2022; 70% of the total salary arrears to be resolved before October 31; and all the salary arrears to be resolved before December 31. At the above time nodes, the relevant clubs must submit to the CFA a salary arrears repayment form signed by all coaches, players and staff. At the same time, the CFA has also clarified the corresponding penalties:
i. Clubs that fail to complete the repayment of no less than 30% of the total amount of salary arrears for the 2021 season and before by July 31, 2022 will be prohibited from registering new players in the second transfer window of the 2022 season and will be deducted three league points.
Second, clubs that fail to complete repayment of no less than 70% of their total salary arrears for the 2021 season and earlier by October 31, 2022, will be deducted six league points.
Thirdly, clubs that fail to settle all salary arrears by December 31, 2022 will face relegation or disqualification from admission.
For those Chinese Super League clubs that are unable to fully resolve the issue of unpaid wages before December 31, 2022, they must reach a settlement agreement with the persons whose wages are owed to them, sign to confirm and submit it to the CFA for the record, and resolve the unpaid wages in strict accordance with the time nodes determined in the filed agreement. Clubs that fail to resolve the wage arrears in accordance with the time nodes of the filed agreement will be subject to the above penalties.
