As winter deepens and the transfer window quietly opens, players in the crowded transfer market have been looking for a change, but the negotiations between the old and new owners are intricate, cumbersome and even controversial from time to time. Hong Kong star Fu Huan is one of them. Despite the fact that we are now in the year 2024, the controversy of last year is still lingering. The Nanjing Football Club not only severely penalized two players, including 31-year-old foreign player Fu Huan, in the form of an official announcement, but also revoked their 2023 performance.
Fu Huan quietly left the team from Nov. 21 to Dec. 28 without returning, which dealt a blow to the team. As a result, the Nanjing club decided to fine Fu Huan 50,000 yuan and terminate his labor contract. This makes Fu Huan the first international player to be dismissed from domestic soccer in 2023.
Similar to Fu Huan, player Sun Guoliang suffered a "three suspensions" and a 50,000 yuan fine for violent assault. Although he was punished, compared to Fu Huan, Sun Guoliang at least retained the possibility of returning to the team. Fu Huan, on the other hand, seems to have no hope of returning to the team. He is currently discussing his next move with the Harbor Club. Given the fine and salary issues, Fu Huan did not gladly accept the result, but chose arbitration, which requires the intervention of a third party and a clear explanation. The dust has yet to settle, and based on past experience, such arbitration tends to be a long drawn out battle.
Fu Huan was loaned to Nanjing in 2023 and was an integral part of the team's 29 appearances throughout the year, making 26 starts and contributing two assists. Nanjing ended up in fifth place with 49 points from 12 wins, 13 draws and 5 losses, still 12 points away from surpassing their goal. Introducing Fu Huan, the team is counting on him to help the team, after all, Fu Huan has a wealth of experience in Kunshan Football Club.
The dispute has raised a number of questions. On the one hand, Fu Huan's unauthorized absence from the team coincided with a holiday when the team was not training, and it seems inappropriate to use this as a justification for a heavy penalty. On the other hand, as for the penalty itself, the reasonableness of a player being punished for illegally canceling a performance, a rarity among the music department's punitive tactics, is highly questionable. As a result, the penalty directly helped the music department save Fu Huan's performance bonus for the 2023 season, which also meant that the player's interests were jeopardized and arbitration became the only way to resolve the dispute. For Fu Huan, it is more important to find a new way out for the 2024 season as soon as possible. Muscat's appointment provides an opportunity to "reshuffle" the lineup. If you can impress Muscat, there may be a chance to stay in the team, otherwise, I am afraid to have to face the choice of rent.
