This morning, China's soccer governing body, the Chinese Football Association (CFA), officially unveiled a penalty notice on some professional soccer clubs for failing to deal with wage arrears and repayments in accordance with regulations. Chinese Super League powerhouses Hebei and Wuhan Changjiang were each deducted three points from this season's standings for failing to properly resolve wage arrears.
Before the deduction, Wuhan Changjiang was ranked 15th in the league with 18 points. After the deduction, the points dropped to 15, the same as Guangzhou City, and the ranking remained at the 15th place; while the Hebei team originally had only 3 points, and after the deduction, it dropped to 0, continuing to be at the bottom of the table.
In the recently concluded 23rd round of the Chinese Super League, Hebei defeated Chengdu Chengdu by a score of 0-6, 16 consecutive defeats, setting a new record for the longest losing streak in the Chinese Super League and even in China's top leagues, and the prospect of relegation is worrisome.
Meanwhile, Wuhan Changjiang drew 0-0 with Meizhou Hakka in the same round, ending an 8-game losing streak, but still couldn't get rid of the embarrassing situation of 11 consecutive rounds without a win, and the risk of relegation is still high.
It is worth noting that the CFA's penalty is only for the July 31 issue of unpaid wages. And October 31, another key point in time is coming. If the problem of wage arrears has not been properly resolved by then, the two teams fear that they will face further punishment.
