The CFA issued an emergency notice on Nov. 7, stipulating that clubs in the 2024 Chinese Super League, First Division and Second Division should submit their applications for the new season by Dec. 5. However, in the face of serious challenges to the survival and operation of clubs at all levels of the domestic league, the AFC and the CFA have decided to provide a buffer period of up to two weeks for "struggling clubs" to supplement and improve relevant materials. As a result, all clubs were required to submit their documents by December 19th at the latest. As of December 4, many clubs have submitted their applications for the new season on time.
At the Suzhou Professional League Work Conference on November 26-27, the CFA preparatory team informed the music departments of the schedule for the new season, with the Chinese Super League scheduled to start on March 1 next year. As the start of the new league season is earlier than in the past, the deadline for clubs to submit and review their admission materials has been advanced accordingly.
On November 7, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) released a notice on the access work of Chinese Super League, Chinese League A and Chinese League B clubs for the 2024 season. The AFC, in order to standardize the admission work of member associations and ensure the smooth progress of the new AFC Elite League and other tournaments, has specifically requested that, from the 2023 season onwards, clubs in the top and second tier professional leagues are required to submit their admission materials to the official system of the AFC.
It is reported that the reason behind AFC's move is that in recent years there have been frequent contract disputes and wage arrears in the Chinese Super League and First Division, which have not only affected the reputation of the league, but also exacerbated the AFC's distrust of the access to China's professional leagues. For this reason, the AFC has put forward stricter entry requirements for the CFA.
Beijing Youth Daily reporter revealed that the CFA preparatory team and the AFC have communicated with each other many times on the issue of access to the Chinese Super League and Chinese A League clubs for the new season. AFC agreed to give the "problem clubs" two weeks to improve their access according to the CFA's workflow. This means that clubs wishing to participate in the new league season will have until December 19 to submit qualified entry materials.
As of December 4, most of the clubs in the Chinese Super League, Chinese League One and Chinese League Two have completed the submission of admission materials, but some "problem clubs" have only submitted basic materials. For example, some clubs have not yet submitted documents such as the confirmation form of full payment of players' wages for the 2023 season, and even if they have, their authenticity needs to be further verified.
Currently, some clubs are facing major challenges in terms of access, such as Cangzhou Lions FC in the Chinese Super League, which is facing difficulties due to a contract dispute, and Guangzhou Football Club in the Chinese First Division, which is also hampered by similar issues. The CFA and CFL preparatory team will announce the access list for the new season at all levels of the league in batches based on the materials submitted by the clubs.
