The Chinese Super League is on a break, but the clubs are busy. In order to compete in the coming season, they have to go through the selection process of the Football Association first.
This year, the Football Association has introduced a brand new AFC access system with more stringent vetting criteria than in the past. Therefore, the eligibility of the clubs should not be ignored, once negligence, the submission may not meet the requirements of the system. If the FA does not approve, they fear that they will not have access to the Chinese Super League next season.
The Chinese Super League has been on a downward spiral since the dream of "golden dollar soccer" was shattered. At the end of every season, everyone thinks the league has reached the bottom, but the situation is even worse in the coming season.
Affected by the epidemic, the domestic real estate market continues to be in the doldrums, and the Football Association has frequently issued policies in the past two years. Nowadays, the Super League clubs are not having a good time. According to soccer media people, only three teams out of 16 teams in the Chinese Super League this season have not defaulted on players' salaries.
Even Beijing Guoan, the former Chinese Super League (CSL) champions, are in trouble and in debt. The parent company, Sino Group, broke its financial chain and was able to pay the salaries of its players and coaches only with the help of the city government and new sponsors.
Beijing Guoan was once on par with Guangzhou Evergrande, and other clubs are in a more worrisome situation. Recently, Zhejiang, Wuhan Three Town, Cangzhou Lions, Dalian and Shenzhen teams are rumored to face possible dissolution next year. And those clubs hosted by the Sports Bureau, once the loss of support, to maintain the livelihood of the fear of becoming a problem.
Against this backdrop, many clubs are in trouble because they are unable to submit their entry qualification materials on time. The FA has extended the submission deadline as in previous years, but for clubs with debts of up to 3.5 billion dollars like Shenzhen, it is difficult to submit the materials even after a month's extension.
In addition to the club's internal operational problems, the Shenzhen team is also affected by the external environment. The national soccer team has not entered the World Cup for many years, and the level is deteriorating, and the Chinese women's soccer team is following in its footsteps.
Under these circumstances, Chinese soccer has fallen into a new low, the passion of fans and media continues to fade, and the attention of the domestic league is far less than in the period of "golden dollar soccer". In addition to the neutral policy of the Football Association, the willingness of enterprises to invest in soccer is decreasing. Without the money injected by the enterprises, the clubs are difficult to maintain independently, and the crisis of dissolution has enveloped many Chinese Super League teams.
Therefore, some soccer people pointed out that the Chinese Super League has not yet bottomed out, and the situation of the clubs next year may be even more serious. The only way to reduce team costs is to have veterans retire and new blood emerge.
In other words, it will take 3-4 years for clubs to rationalize their remuneration structures before they can achieve financial equilibrium. Until then, some clubs may announce their dissolution due to their inability to support themselves.
As a result, the wave of Chinese Super League clubs disbanding in the next two years is expected to continue. If no new Central League A clubs fill in, the size of the league may be further reduced. In extreme cases, the 12-team lineup of the first year of the A-League may be rewritten...
