"The birth of the professional league seems to be the dawn that fans have been waiting for." On May 19, Chen Xuyuan, president of the CFA, said this when responding to the question of the preparation of the professional league. However, his words once again raised doubts among the media and fans. It has been nearly two years since Chen Xuyuan's first promise, and although the three-tier league has been moving forward steadily under the leadership of the professional league preparatory group, the official listing and name of the "professional league" is still unclear.
Is there any basis for President CHAN's pledge this time around? The answer is yes. According to our reporter, the management of the preparatory group for the professional league is undergoing a new round of adjustment. A "new face" who is well versed in the coordination and management of tournament organizing and has rich resources of local sports bureaus will join soon, aiming at accelerating the formation process of the professional league.
In explaining the reasons for the slow progress of the professional league, Chen Xuyuan pointed out three key points. Among them, "clarifying the division of authority" is crucial. He emphasized: "What is the responsibility of the league? What are the responsibilities of the FA? What are the rules of procedure in the implementation process? These are the issues that the league spent a lot of time studying during the formation process. Before the establishment of the must be clear, not ambiguous, otherwise the operation of personal preferences to deal with, will inevitably lead to problems." It is this relationship of authority that prompted the preparatory group for the professional league to make personnel adjustments.
In the context of the epidemic, professional leagues need to coordinate more than just the internal affairs of the three tiers of leagues. For example, the determination of tournament zones requires full communication with local governments and sports bureaus, and the use of government resources. If the system of home and away matches is resumed, the support of the city governments where the three leagues are located is even more necessary. In addition, this year, the Chinese Super League, such as Cangzhou Lions, Henan Songshan Longmen clubs through the government-led equity reform, which may be the future trend of the league. The State Council's football reform program clearly states: "Optimize the club's equity structure. Encourage the government where the club is located to invest in equity with resources such as soccer stadiums, forming a reasonable structure of investment sources, promoting the realization of the club's regionalization, and encouraging clubs with the conditions to gradually realize the non-corporate nature of the name." In the future, helping more clubs enter this model and coordinating the management of such equity type clubs will also require enhanced communication with local governments and sports bureaus. With professional leagues increasingly relying on government power, it is difficult for a purely investor-based league to achieve growth and development of the league.
The league needs both talents with professional experience in running and managing league games and government resources. The two leaders of the professional league preparation team, Liu Jun and Huang Shenghua, have worked solidly and steadily to ensure the normal operation of the three-tier league. However, they are also increasingly aware of the need to strengthen resources at the government level in the future.
At present, the most likely candidate to join the preparatory team of the professional league is Shi Qiang. Shi Qiang, who has served as the secretary general of the Asian Cup China Organizing Committee, has a wealth of experience in the soccer field. He was involved in the organization and coordination of the 2004 Asian Cup, promoted the implementation of the overall plan for the reform and development of Chinese soccer, and participated in the preparations for the 2021 Club World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup. Shi Qiang has established smooth communication channels with relevant state ministries and commissions, departments and bureaus of the General Administration, and provincial and municipal sports bureaus. It would undoubtedly be of great help to the work of the leaders of professional leagues if they could establish a good relationship with the leaders of the local sports bureaus.
Shi Qiang has a deep emotion in soccer and insists on watching and playing soccer all year round. His work experience in the General Administration Office and the Asian Cup Organizing Committee has allowed him to establish close ties with relevant government departments. In the professional league, Shi Qiang will be a leader with professional ability, government resources and no interest entanglement with the clubs. Once in office, he will make a clean break from his previous work to ensure the independence of the professional league.
The internal evaluation of Shi Qiang by the Asia Cup Organizing Committee is: "High emotional intelligence, can listen to different opinions and unite the strength of all parties." As a professional league where the interests of all parties converge, it needs a helmsman who can balance and harmonize the contradictions of many aspects.
