Further, China's soccer governing body is mulling over a complete overhaul of salary arrears in the league. According to Soccer Daily, a leading domestic sports news outlet, the CFA's determination to deal with player salary arrears is as firm as iron, given that the federation has set aside a year's time for teams to clear their arrears, and is therefore determined. If any team fails to pass the league's entry audit due to unpaid wages, that team will not be eligible for the next season's CSL campaign. In the worst case scenario, if the Chinese Super League fails to gather 18 teams due to wage arrears, the remaining teams will have to play a role in the new league season.
The CFA has taken the same measures for the Chinese First Division and Second Division leagues. We must eradicate the problem of wage arrears in the league in order to ensure an increase in the number of teams. The CFA has recently made it clear that it is "better to have fewer players than more", and that the problem of salary arrears has been a long-standing problem for the Chinese league. If we want to build a stable and sustainable league, the problem must be solved. Otherwise, the Chinese league will continue to erupt in unpaid salary scandals, which will not only damage the reputation of Chinese soccer, but also the overall image.
Looking ahead to 2023, Chinese soccer will undoubtedly experience a storm, the key to the problem is whether the CFA can lead Chinese soccer back on track.
