As January 6 approaches, the CFA has imposed an ultimatum on clubs in the three tiers of professional leagues to clear the third stage of their historical wage arrears. This crucial date is crucial for the 2023 Pro League access review, which will determine the fate of numerous Chinese Super League, China A and China B clubs.
The FA issued a series of directives before January 6, requiring clubs' authorized representatives to submit the latest proof of salary repayment for the FA's meticulous review. In July last year, the FA had issued a supplementary notice emphasizing the need for clubs to accurately grasp the policy and to seriously address the issue of salary arrears and report progress in a timely manner.
Under the supervision of the Football Association, most clubs have cleared at least 70 per cent of salary arrears in the second phase. However, clubs that failed to resolve the issue in a timely manner, such as Wuhan Changjiang, Shanghai Shenhua and Hebei, have been penalized.
It is reported that many clubs may be in trouble for failing to submit proof of liquidation on time. The CFA has taken a strong stance on this, stating that it will never tolerate teams that default on wages. If the Chinese Super League clubs fail to meet the standards in the historical wage arrears and access audits, the CFA is even prepared to use 16 clubs to support the Chinese Super League in a preparatory plan, and the China A League and China B League are also prepared to reduce the number of clubs.
At present, about five clubs in the Chinese Super League are facing the double risk of salary arrears and share reform, and some clubs have also encountered difficulties in share reform, and the future development is worrying. In this regard, the CFA's position is firm, if the Chinese Super League team fails to complete the arrears liquidation, the Association will be resolute and uncompromising, and would rather reduce the size of the team, but also will never condone the behavior of wage arrears.
