On November 5th, the Japanese media outlet "tokyo-sports" disclosed an upsetting news: Hebei, who are on the verge of closing down, and their player Leonardo, who had been on loan at Taishan, seem to be returning to the Japanese J-League next season.
The back of Huaxia Happiness is drifting away, and the giant that had sponsored Hebei's soccer team seems to be ready to pull out, with signs pointing to a saddening turn of events. Hebei's parent company is mired in debt, and if the financial chain breaks, the team may be in desperate straits, with the fate of closure seemingly close at hand.
Meanwhile, that former J1 Urawa Red Diamonds Brazilian striker Leonardo, who moved to Hebei from Shandong Taishan in July, also signaled his departure via his personal social media in October. He hinted that he might leave Hebei and possibly return to the J-League next season, joining J2's Niigata Swans or J3's Tottori Kensuke.
With the fall of Jiangsu Suning, the new Chinese Super League champions, Guangzhou's financial woes have been laid bare, while Chinese soccer seems to be standing on the brink of collapse.
