Qingdao Daily disclosed that in December, the Qingdao soccer team formally sent a letter to the Football Management Center of the Municipal Sports Bureau to explain the Chinese Professional Football League from which it withdrew.
In Qingdao Football Club's statement on its withdrawal from the Chinese Professional Football League, the team confessed that the club suffered a broken financial chain in the 2020-2021 season, despite high expectations as a new member of the Chinese Super League. Huge private loan debts left behind by previous shareholders left the club with a heavy financial burden, even affecting investor Yellow Sea Group. During the epidemic, the strict competition and "neutral name" policy of the Chinese Super League intensified the pressure on the club's operations, and sponsors failed to deliver on their promises, ultimately leading to the team's unfortunate relegation in the 2021 season.
In view of all these difficulties, and the club's current operational situation, which cannot be sustained, we are deeply saddened by the decision to withdraw from the league.
In the future, we will focus on youth soccer training and school soccer promotion, and we will explain this in detail. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all sectors of the community for their attention, assistance and support, and wish Qingdao soccer a more brilliant tomorrow.
In the face of Qingdao Football Club's withdrawal, the head of the Municipal Football Administration Center said, "Although we feel very sorry, we will work closely with the Municipal Football Association to ensure that the follow-up work of the club's professional team is properly handled. We will fully support the club to continue to devote itself to soccer and provide assistance in participating in soccer tournaments at all levels and conducting youth soccer training."
