The players' concerns may turn into a harsh reality. Guangzhou FC's annual operating funds are usually accounted for at the beginning of the year, and the operating expenses for 2021 were already in place in January, so theoretically, even if the parent company was facing financial difficulties, the club would not be able to default on players' salaries due to a lack of funds. Now, in the case of the Chinese Super League in general, salary arrears, Guangzhou team from the beginning of the year to September can be paid in full as scheduled, the parent company just broke out of the crisis, the income of the players have not been affected.
However, with the parent company in an increasingly difficult situation, the club's remaining operating funds in September was also siphoned off by the group, making the club almost out of food, the team faces unpaid wages seems to be a foregone conclusion.
Sources close to the matter have revealed that since the second phase of the Chinese Super League ended in mid-August, many of Guangzhou Football Club's staff have been on vacation and have seen their incomes drastically reduced, and have yet to be notified by the club of their reinstatement. The first team has shown signs of financial constraints, with the squad yet to assemble and no clear training schedule, and many players are looking for new outlets, with some already looking for new jobs.
Jung may quit midway and apply for a job as a college teacher
In mid-August, Guangzhou finished the second phase of the Chinese Super League (CSL) and ranked second in Group A with a record of 9 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses, advancing to the championship group. At that time, everyone was looking forward to regrouping after a month's vacation to make an impact on this year's Chinese Super League title.
However, at the end of the vacation, the players received a notice not to return to the team for training, but to "continue to wait". This "continue" is a month, the players still do not know when the team can regroup and start training, can only find their own training grounds or training at home to maintain the state.
At the end of September, Guangzhou Football Club terminated the contract of head coach Carnavaro. At that time, some players had an ominous premonition that this could herald a huge change in the club's squad. Some of the players were very worried about the club's predicament as they associated it with the news that the club's senior management had requested the Guangzhou Football Association to take over the club, which began to circulate in early September. Although the club's senior management tried to comfort the players at that time and said that the club would do its best to ensure that the team would finish this season's Chinese Super League, it still could not stop people from changing their minds. Some players began to contact their next home privately, and had the idea of transferring away from the team at the end of the year.
Now, with some players showing signs of salary arrears in October, there are more and more players who are thinking of leaving the team. After Cannavaro's departure, captain Zheng Zhi is believed to be expected to serve as the team's executive manager, and the club expects Zheng Zhi to play a stabilizing role in the team's difficult times.
However, at present, the plight of Guangzhou Football Club is beyond imagination, and the possibility of not being able to participate in the third stage of the Chinese Super League cannot be ruled out. Zheng Zhi recently went to the Guangzhou Sports Institute to apply for soccer teachers, which is considered to be a player in advance to find their own way out of the helpless move. Once the captain of the Zheng Zhi are to "jump ship", then the Guangzhou team is more difficult to prevent other players from leaving the idea.
Guangzhou team requested to recover the "attraction adjustment fee".
With the loss of support from the parent company and the lack of blood production at Guangzhou Football Club itself, the once most powerful and highest-paying club in the Chinese Super League has literally reached a moment of life and death. The only thing that may allow Guangzhou Football Club to survive and continue to participate in the Chinese Super League is the 400 million yuan foreign aid adjustment fee that was previously handed over to the Football Association. The club once requested the FA to return the 400 million yuan adjustment fee in time, which might allow Guangzhou to survive until the end of the season.
In order to recover the adjustment fee, the club took the initiative to leak to the outside world in the hope that the Football Association can return the 400 million yuan adjustment fee "news" in a timely manner. Since 2017, the CFA has introduced the policy of attracting aid adjustment fee, according to statistics, if all the clubs pay according to the provisions of the attracting aid adjustment fee, the CFA in the attracting aid adjustment fee will be more than 2 billion yuan of income.
However, informed sources revealed that the clubs have not been given clear usage and invoicing for the reinforcement adjustment fee, which has raised questions among the clubs that have already paid the adjustment fee and the public opinion. The Guangzhou Football Club, which has paid the 400 million yuan adjustment fee, believes that since the submitted fee has not been used for legitimate reasons, the Football Association should return the collected fee to the relevant clubs. If the FA can return the 400 million yuan of adjustment fee, it will be enough to support the Guangzhou team to finish the season.
However, the FA's main concern now is the national team to participate in the Top 12. The previous four matches with one win and three losses have already made the FA so anxious that no one has time to pay attention to the matter of the adjustment fee. Perhaps, after the national team has finished the two World Cup matches in November, the FA will have the energy to deal with Guangzhou's demand, only, by that time, the start of the third phase of the Chinese Super League is already imminent.
