As January 6 approaches, the deadline set by the CFA for third-tier professional league clubs to submit their history of wage arrears to be cleared is fast approaching, marking the third stage of the review.The 2023 professional league access review will take place in the following February to March, when the fate of numerous Chinese Super League, China League 1 and China League 2 clubs will be decided.
According to the directive previously issued by the CFA, by January 6, the authorized representatives of all professional soccer clubs are required to submit to the designated contact person the latest proof of repayment to resolve the issue of salary arrears. The CFA will scrutinize the submissions in detail.
Recalling the Supplementary Circular on the Implementation of Policies Related to the 2022 Professional Leagues at All Levels issued by the FA on July 7, 2022, the FA once again reiterated the requirement that clubs must accurately grasp the policy, strictly implement the plan, seriously address historical wage arrears and report on the progress of the resolution. Following the release of the document, most clubs completed at least 70% of the tasks of rectifying wage arrears in the second phase. However, clubs that have not resolved their arrears, such as Wuhan Changjiang, Shanghai Shenhua and Hebei, have been penalized accordingly.
It is reported that some clubs may not be able to submit proof of clearing wage arrears on time for some reasons, but the FA has taken a firm stance this time around and will not tolerate any team that defaults on wages. If the Chinese Super League clubs fail to pass the scrutiny of wage arrears and access, the FA has prepared for the worst and even considered using 16 clubs to form the Chinese Super League. China A-League and China B-League are also prepared to reduce the number of clubs even lower than the Chinese Super League.
Currently, about five Super League clubs are facing potential risks of wage arrears and equity reform. At the same time, some clubs have encountered difficulties in equity reform, and the future development prospects are worrying. In this regard, the CFA's attitude is clear: if the final failure of 18 teams to complete the arrears liquidation, the Association will not be compromised in order to make up the number, preferring to reduce the number of Super League teams, but also unwilling to condone the arrears of wages of the team.
