The new FA president, Song Kai, vowed to overhaul the league's entry system from the moment he took office. However, this year's admission process has fallen into the same old rut as previous years, and has turned into a delaying drama. The FA first relaxed the 10-day deadline for teams to apply, then announced that it would release the entry list in stages, and now the results of the preliminary rounds have been announced.
According to Beijing Youth Daily reporter Sean, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) conducted a pre-qualification process for the entry of Chinese Super League (CSL), Chinese First Division (CFA) and Chinese Second Division (CSB) clubs for the 2024 season, and the results showed that a total of eight clubs failed to pass the process (two in the CSL, four in the CFA, and two in the CSB).
Shockingly, the Chinese Super League teams that failed to pass the initial screening included one-time giants Beijing Guoan.
On the very day that the results of the preliminary hearing were announced, Guoan wideout De Souza left a message under a tweet about a rumored Guoan signing, "First they need to pay me."
So what exactly is Beijing Guoan's predicament?
In December 2016, Sino Land acquired a 64% stake in Guoan FC for a huge sum of 3.55 billion yuan; in June 2021, it acquired the remaining 36% stake. As a result, Guoan FC became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sino Land.
However, in September 2021, Evergrande Group suddenly fell into trouble, and the real estate industry was instantly plunged into a cold winter. Sino Land was not spared either, and in June 2023, all the shares of Guoan FC held by the Group were frozen. Subsequently, the court ruled that the creditor had the right to pledge 100% of the shares of Guoan Football Club, and had the right of first refusal to the discount, auction or sale price of the pledged shares.
In other words, today's Guoan club has become the victim of a minefield by parent group Zhonghe Land.
Another Chinese Super League team that failed to pass the initial screening was the Cangzhou Lions. The club, originally wholly owned by Yongchang Group, moved from Shijiazhuang to Cangzhou in 2021. Cangzhou Construction Investment invested in the club, gaining a 50% stake, but the club is still operated by Yongchang Group.
However, with the restructuring of the Cangzhou leadership team, Cangzhou Construction Investment stopped investing in the Lions, leading to serious wage arrears issues at the club this season.
However, the Cangzhou Lions are now actively addressing the access issue. Soccer Daily reported that the team's coaching staff and Chinese players have agreed to defer their salaries, and 70 percent of the foreign aid arrears have been repaid, while the remaining foreign aid arrears amount to about $1 million. Meanwhile, lawyer Zhang Bing, who specializes in player salary business, also published an article stating that the Cangzhou players he represents have received the full amount of salary arrears from the club.
At present, Beijing Guoan and Cangzhou Lions are the only two remaining clubs in the Chinese Super League held by real estate companies. It can be seen that the "real estate soccer" that led the Chinese Super League into the "golden dollar era" has come to an end. Among them, the shareholding structure of the Cangzhou Lions precisely connects the two eras. In this club, we see the risk of "city investment in soccer". If Chinese soccer clubs can't get rid of the positioning of other people's appendages and can't operate independently, the annual league admission review will always be a good show.
It is understood that clubs that do not pass the initial review still have the opportunity to add and improve their access materials. The Canyon Lions are working on it, while the Nationals' historical position and geographic location make it nearly impossible for them to pass the final access review.
