As the winter fades, the transfer window opens with a bang. Numerous footballers have been seeking wider horizons, however, the tug-of-war between old and new owners has made the transfer path not a straight one, and has even led to controversy. Hong Kong star Fu Huan is one of them. Even as we enter the year 2024, last year's controversy still lingers. The Nanjing soccer team has gone so far as to make a public announcement and hit out at two players, including 31-year-old foreign player Fu Huan, who has been severely punished. Fu Huan left the team from Nov. 21 to Dec. 28 and has not returned to the team, causing great losses to the team. As a result, Nanjing fined him 50,000 yuan and terminated his labor contract, canceling his 2023 performance, and Fu Huan became the first foreign player to be dismissed in 2023 in the history of domestic soccer.
Fu Huan's experience is not an isolated case, as another player, Sun Guoliang, was also penalized. He was suspended for three times and faced a fine of 50,000 yuan for the violent incident. Although Sun Guoliang was punished, but compared to Fu Huan, he at least kept his job, there is still the possibility of returning to the game. Fu Huan's future, there seems to be no turning back. He is currently discussing his next step with the Harbor Club. However, due to the fines and wages involved, Fu Huan did not easily accept the punishment, but chose arbitration, which requires a third party to intervene and provide a clear explanation. As a result, the situation is still unclear, and based on past experience, this type of arbitration tends to be a protracted battle.
Fu Huan joined Nanjing on loan in 2023 and made 29 appearances throughout the year, including 26 starts, contributing two assists and was an absolute mainstay of the team. Nanjing eventually accumulated 49 points with 12 wins, 13 draws and 5 losses, ranking fifth, still 12 points away from the goal of the Super League. With the introduction of Fu Huan, the team hopes that he can help the team break through the bottleneck, after all, Fu Huan has had a brilliant performance in Kunshan Football Club.
There have been questions raised about the controversy. On the one hand, Fu Huan's unauthorized absence from the team coincided with the November 21-December 28 holiday, when the team was out of practice, and it seems inappropriate to use unauthorized absence as the basis for a heavy penalty. On the other hand, the penalty itself is also dubious, with the reasonableness of a player being penalized for an illegal cancellation of performance, which is uncommon among the music department's punitive tactics, being called into question. As it turned out, the penalty actually helped the music department save Fu Huan's performance bonus for the 2023 season.
Of course, this also means that the player's rights are compromised and arbitration becomes the only way to resolve the dispute. For Fu Huan, it is more important to find a home for the 2024 season as soon as possible. Muscat's appointment provides an opportunity to "reshuffle" the squad. If he can win Muscat's favor, Fu Huan still has the possibility to stay in the team, otherwise, he may have to face new challenges.
