Not long ago, Wuhan Changjiang Football Club announced its dissolution, becoming the first team to dissolve before the new season, while the gloom seems to be growing thicker in Chinese soccer.
The Chinese Super League schedule seems to be accompanied by a wave of team dissolutions year after year. The tragic dissolution of Wuhan Changjiang was announced only a few days ago when the team's unpaid wages were settled. However, judging by the current dynamics of the Chinese Super League, Wuhan Changjiang is not the lone player to dissolve in the new season. No, it is feared that the second club to be dissolved will soon be unveiled.
The deadline set by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) for clubs to be admitted to the new season, originally set for December 31, 2022, has passed, but in light of the plight of so many clubs, the CFA has had to extend the deadline by a month. The FA has made it clear that any clubs in arrears will not be allowed to participate in the league.
Wage arrears are a common phenomenon in the Chinese Super League, some clubs may be able to tide over the difficulties, while others are facing financial difficulties like the Shenzhen team, which is a big surprise to many fans. The Shenzhen team has just been promoted from the Central League to the Chinese Super League, and is keen to make big signings with the intention of making a name for themselves in the top league. However, an imbalance between investment and return and a season of relegation eventually led to the team having to disband in order to return to the Super League.
At the tail end of the 2022 season, Shenzhen suddenly exploded into a massive debt of up to 3.5 billion dollars. Despite being well aware that they were saddled with a debt of over 3 billion dollars, Shenzhen seemed to be basking in prosperity before the start of the season. In addition to the serious problem of unpaid wages, three of the team's senior managers have been taken away for investigation, and the players have not been spared either. All of this suggests that the Shenzhen team is corrupt from the inside, with all the negative aspects of Chinese soccer showing through.
The Shenzhen team's investors apparently can no longer afford to continue. If they do not choose to dissolve, the team will seek new investors. But given the current situation of the Shenzhen team, the involvement of new investors seems to be difficult. Businessmen do not want to be the wrongdoer, the new investor not only have to deal with the 3.5 billion debt, but also need to deal with a series of thorny issues. Most importantly, even if the new investors clean up the mess, they won't be able to profit from it. After all, the team's neutral name means that the new investors can only give quietly and cannot leave their names behind.
In the face of this pile of unnamable mess, no one is willing to take over. For the Shenzhen team, dissolution seems to have become the only way out. It is reported that the team players have begun to plan for their future, knowing that the team dissolution is only a matter of time.
