Open Letter from Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic Players
On Nov. 20, Beijing time, the Internet circulated a story
China Super League (soccer league)
Team Chongqing Two Rivers Athletic players released an open letter, the letter for the current club salary arrears situation to make a statement, and called for support from all walks of life.
Open Letter from Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic Football Salon Players
Honorable leaders, community:
We are the first team players and staff of Chongqing Liangjiang Keji Football Salon. For a long time in the past, we have suffered from unpaid wages. We are all the children of our parents, the doctor of our wives, the father of our children, and the pillars of our families. However, not getting our due pay for a long time has made us struggle in life and suffer mentally.
Many of us, burdened with mortgages, car loans, and the bulk of our family's expenses, did not expect to be the one owed wages when we had already stepped into the workforce as adults and approached the profession diligently.
We regard soccer as our life's faith, Chongqing as our home, everything at the club as family, and the passionate Chongqing fans as friends. During our time at the club, we fought for the honor of the city and to preserve the flame of Chongqing soccer in the Chinese Super League.
Before the epidemic, we were able to attract tens of thousands of fans to the ground every week to cheer us on, making the Chongqing market one of the city's most iconic calling cards. Since we returned to the Chinese Super League in 2015, we have been based on this platform for seven seasons, most of which have seen us successfully relegated ahead of schedule.
Last year, under the premise of the club's difficult operation, our whole team worked together, with the faith of the city of Chongqing, played a wonderful game in the Chinese Super League, rewriting the history of Chongqing soccer, and also received unanimous praise inside and outside the profession. This has become one of the proudest moments in each of our careers.
We have experienced several interruptions in training due to lack of operating funds since the beginning of the year, but every time the league has opened before, we have been in the division on time. This is a sign of respect for the rules of the league and for soccer as a sport. What people don't see is that we don't have enough training time or content in the process, so all players and staff have to put in more effort and energy than usual each game to keep everyone healthy and in competitive shape.
Our team veterans are persevering and our youngsters are growing at an accelerated rate. More than the physical hardships, it's the reality that the equity change is not yet complete that has us suffering. We don't understand, is all the hard work, all the dedication, and our love for the city only going to result in continued unpaid wages and a club headed for eventual destruction?
Our club is now incapable of sustaining day-to-day operations and with the first team once again out of training less than a month before the league restarts, we can't imagine what it will be like when the league kicks off in December.
We don't want to disappoint the people of Chongqing, we don't want to disappoint the people who have been doing their best for the equity change, and we don't want to let the fire of Chongqing soccer go out in our hands.
Therefore, I implore leaders at all levels in Chongqing Municipality and all sectors of society to give us support, we really love this team and everything in Chongqing!
