The smoke has cleared from the Chinese Super League season, the curtain has fallen on the first and second divisions, the 2023 FA Cup is still only one match away, and the rest of the competitions have been finalized. Preparations for the new Chinese Super League season have started quietly, with Dalian and Shenzhen successfully joining the league, while Sichuan Jiuniu and Qingdao West Coast have been granted early entry tickets due to wage arrears, adding a lot of variables to the new season. If the wage arrears problem cannot be solved before New Year's Day, the entry qualification will be out of reach. Such a move may seem harsh, but it is meant to prevent the sudden dissolution of the clubs before the start of the tournament.
Recently, two teams, Dalian Ren and Yunnan Yukun, received unexpected supplemental notices. This season they were relegated from the Chinese Super League to the Central League, and then from the Central League to the Central League B respectively. Behind this seemingly chain reaction, Dalian Ren should have been relegated to the Central A. If they return to the Chinese Super League, there will be one less seat in the Central A, so Yunnan Yukun was able to be replaced. In this way, next season's original team in the Super League may face access problems, but this season's 15th-ranked Dalian people may therefore gain access, and this is the key period for them to solve the problem of unpaid wages.
In the face of these changes, the Football Association does not yet know internally, and can only say that this situation is possible, but has not yet been informed of the exact replacement. Relegated teams are naturally eager to be replaced, which has indeed happened in recent years, but the conditions for replacement lie not only in their own problems, but also in the situation of other clubs. Although the submission of access materials has been moved up to New Year's Day, it is still some time away.
The deadline for the first phase of league access materials was December 5, indicating that the FA had not yet fully received the clubs' materials and therefore could not give advance notice of replacements. Unless a club explicitly states that it will not participate next season, which is extremely rare. Now, let's look ahead to next season's Premier League Top 16. Some teams may be under pressure to survive, but the problem is not severe. At the very least, there doesn't seem to be much doubt about qualification. In this context, Dalian Ren and Yunnan Yukun are less likely to have additional notifications.
However, the future is unpredictable, and after the first phase of the admission process ends on December 5, we will have a rough idea of which teams will not be able to get in and which will have a chance to remedy the situation. If the Shenzhen team is at risk of disbanding, the question of its survival will be in the spotlight. If the Shenzhen team is disbanded, there will be an empty seat in the Central League, and Yunnan Yukun may have a better chance of replacing it compared to the Dalian people. Nevertheless, everything is not yet finalized. Let's wait and see the further progress of the FA access work.
