When FA boss Song Kai took over, he vowed a tough screening of league entry qualifications. But the facts are as they are, with this year's entry process once again mired in the same delays of previous years. The FA first relaxed the deadline for teams to apply for entry by giving them a 10-day buffer, then announced that it would publish the entry list in stages, and now the results of the initial screening have finally surfaced.
According to Beijing Youth Daily's Sean, the CFA has pre-screened clubs for admission to the 2024 season in the Chinese Super League, China A and China B. The results show that a total of eight clubs have failed to pass this initial screening (two in the Chinese Super League, four in China A and two in China B).
Surprisingly, even the traditional giants Beijing Guoan failed to pass the initial screening.
On the very day the results of the preliminary hearing were announced, Guiao foreign aid player De Souza left a message under his real-name social media account in response to a blog post reporting on Guiao's rumored signing, "FirsttheyNeedtoPayme.(They have to pay me first.)"
So what kind of predicament has Beijing Guoan suffered?
In December 2016, Sino Land acquired a 64% stake in Beijing Guoan FC for a whopping 3.55 billion yuan; in June 2021, it acquired the remaining 36% stake. Today, Beijing Guoan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sino Land.
In September 2021, Evergrande Group was hit hard and the real estate industry was instantly plunged into a severe cold. Sino Land was not spared, and in June 2023, all of its shares in Beijing Guoan FC were frozen. Subsequently, the court ruled that the creditor had the right to pledge 100% of the shares of Beijing Guoan Football Club held by Sino Land, and had the right of first refusal for the discount, auction and sale price of the pledged shares.
This means that today's Beijing Guoan FC is a victim of the financial crisis of its parent group, Zhonghe Land.
Another Chinese Super League club that failed to pass the initial screening was the Cangzhou Lions. Originally a real estate company wholly owned by Yongchang Group, the club moved from Shijiazhuang to Cangzhou in 2021 in response to an invitation from Cangzhou. Cangzhou Construction Investment injected capital into the club for a 50% stake, but it is still operated by Yongchang Group.
However, changes in the Cangzhou leadership team led to Cangzhou Construction Investment ceasing its investment in the Cangzhou Lions, resulting in serious wage arrears issues for the club this season.
However, the Cangzhou Lions are actively working on resolving access challenges in the near future. Soccer Daily reported that the team's coaching staff and Chinese players have agreed to defer wages, 70 percent of the foreign aid salary arrears have been repaid, and the rest of the approximately $1 million in foreign aid salary arrears have been resolved. Attorney Zhang Bing also wrote that the Cangzhou players he represents have received the full amount of salary arrears from the club.
Beijing Guoan and Cangzhou Lions are the only two remaining clubs in the Chinese Super League controlled by real estate companies. This shows that the "real estate soccer" that led the Chinese Super League into the "golden dollar era" has come to an end. Cangzhou Lions, in particular, has a shareholding structure that connects the two eras. We also witnessed the risk of "city investment in soccer" in this club. If the fatal injury of "real estate soccer" is the cycle of real estate industry, then "urban investment soccer" can shake the foundation of the club. Therefore, if Chinese soccer clubs cannot get rid of the role of other people's subordinate, and cannot realize the independent operation, the annual league admission review will always be an exciting drama.
Clubs that do not pass the initial review reportedly still have the opportunity to supplement and improve their access materials. The Cangzhou Lions are working tirelessly, while the historical position and geographic location of the Beijing Guoan team make it virtually impossible for them to pass the final access review.
