Source: Beijing Youth Daily
In the late afternoon of May 31, China Southern Airlines flight CZ6794 landed smoothly at Haikou Meilan International Airport, with 49 members of the Guangzhou City team on board arriving safely. With the addition of this team, the number of participating teams in the new Chinese Super League season reached 18, with the only absentee being the newly promoted Dalian Ren. Despite Guangzhou City's recent salary problems, the club's director revealed, "Progress is expected to be made soon regarding salary arrears, and the team is in no way withdrawing from the competition."
The Guangzhou City team, which was scheduled to depart on May 29, was unable to board the plane as scheduled due to a delay in nucleic acid testing. After completing another test, the team departed from Guangzhou at 4:30 p.m. on May 29 and arrived in Haikou at 5:32 p.m. This is an important turning point for the team, which is plagued by unpaid wages, before the start of the Chinese Super League.
It was reported that during the Chongqing Two Rivers Athletic Team's withdrawal fiasco, Guangzhou City's players also made a demand for salary payment or they would refuse to enter the tournament. However, the whole team eventually arrived in Haikou as scheduled. A total of 49 people from the team arrived, including 32 players and 17 coaches and club staff. The team was personally led by club chairman Huang Shenghua and head coach Van Garst.
