The preparatory team of the National Football Association (NFA) and the Chinese Football League (CFL) urgently convened an online forum for clubs of the Chinese Super League, the Chinese First League and the Chinese Second League on the 3rd. After the meeting, the National Football Association quickly released a notice on the work related to the 2022 season of the Chinese Super League, the Chinese First League and the Chinese Second League, and announced the list of clubs that passed the three levels of league access audits. In addition, it also synchronized the launch of the solution to the club's salary arrears and the corresponding penalties.
A total of 18 Super League, 17 First Division and 22 Second Division clubs have been cleared for the 2022 season, according to Xinhua.
However, Guizhou Football Club of the Central League A and Sichuan Minzu Football Club of the Central League B did not obtain the access qualification for the new season. Guizhou FC did not comply with the AFC's access regulations due to the existence of overdue international wage arrears, while Sichuan Minzu FC failed to gain access to the league due to its failure to submit access materials within the stipulated timeframe.
Jinan Xingzhou Football Club, Nantong Haimen Kejiayuan Football Club, Tai'an Tian Kuang Football Club, Hainan Star Professional Football Club and Wuhan Jiangcheng Football Club, which took part in the Chinese Championship League last year, have gained the qualification for the new season's Chinese B League.
The NFF will and the CFF preparatory team will finalize the teams for the professional leagues at all levels based on the confirmation of participation from the clubs in each of the leagues mentioned above.
The access to the professional soccer league for the 2022 season focuses on solving the problem of wage arrears of some clubs. The National Football Association will take into account the protection of the interests of players and the actual situation of clubs, and put forward a program to solve the wage arrears in batches. On the one hand, it resolutely protects the legitimate rights and interests of players, coaches and club staff, and urges the clubs to solve the problem of wage arrears as soon as possible; on the other hand, it takes into account the actual operating conditions of the clubs and gives them a certain time limit for settlement, so as to facilitate the clubs to raise funds to improve their operating conditions, and to push forward the reform with the help of the power of the local government and the social sectors.
In line with this spirit, some clubs with wage arrears have also been conditionally granted access after submitting specific wage arrears solutions. At the same time, in order to ensure the interests of players, the National Football Association will be for such clubs to formulate a solution to wage arrears and the corresponding penalties.
The NFF will require that clubs not incur new wage arrears in the 2022 season. For salary arrears in the 2021 season and before, three time points have been established: 30% of the total salary arrears to be resolved before July 31, 2022; 70% of the total salary arrears to be resolved before October 31; and all salary arrears to be resolved before December 31. In the above three time nodes, the relevant clubs must submit to the National Football Association will be signed by all the coaches, players, staff to repayment of salary arrears form. At the same time, the National Football Association will also clarify the corresponding penalties:
First, clubs that fail to complete repayment of 30% of the total amount of salary arrears by July 31, 2022, are prohibited from registering new players in the second transfer window of the 2022 season and are deducted three league points.
Secondly, clubs that fail to complete repayment of 70% of the total amount of salary arrears by October 31, 2022, will be deducted six league points.
Thirdly, clubs that fail to settle all salary arrears by December 31, 2022, will face relegation or disqualification from admission.
For those Chinese Super League clubs that are unable to fully resolve their wage arrears by December 31, 2022, the clubs must reach a settlement agreement with the persons whose wages are owed and sign a confirmation with each of the persons whose wages are owed to them and submit it to the National Football Association for record. Clubs that fail to resolve the wage arrears in accordance with the timeline identified in the filed agreement will be subject to the above penalty.
