On December 9, the night was low, an explosive report from the South Korean media naver spread rapidly in the soccer circle: a number of teams in the Chinese Super League are facing serious salary arrears and financial crises, and the former eight-champion team - Guangzhou (formerly Guangzhou Evergrande) is even more mired in the mire.
Guangzhou Football Salon, a club that had fallen on hard times due to its parent company's financial problems, has decided in desperation to use a veteran, former international footballer Zheng Zhi (41), both as a player and as an interim head coach.
Guangzhou officially announced, "For the remainder of the season, Zheng Zhi will lead the team in the dual role of player and interim coach." This is a temporary measure taken by the team after releasing Cannavaro from his contract.
Cannavaro's contract expires in September, with parent company Evergrande on the brink of bankruptcy and unable to afford the Italian's high salary. In Guangzhou, the problem of unpaid wages to players and staff has also become increasingly prominent. As a result, after Cannavaro's contract was terminated, the team's managerial position did not fall into the hands of a new manager, but was taken over by team veteran Zheng Zhi.
This financial predicament in the Chinese Super League is not unique to Guangzhou, as the entire league is going through a turmoil to the extent that most teams are dealing with the inability to pay salaries due to the deteriorating financial situation. There was a time when the Chinese Super League brought in world-class foreign aid and coaches with huge sums of money with the intention of expanding, however, this strategy ultimately pushed the league into the abyss.
The new Guangzhou Salon boss is Zheng Zhi, an experienced veteran of the 1980-born midfielder who has played 108 matches for the national team. It is reported that he will not be paid any extra salary during his tenure as skipper. Guangzhou Sharon have won the AFC Champions League twice, in 2013 and 2015, and eight times since the start of the Chinese Super League.
