The whistle blew through the sky as Shandong Taishan defeated Hebei by two goals and regained the Chinese Super League title after 11 years. This is not only the fourth champion team of the Chinese Super League in the past four seasons, but also the glorious coronation of Shandong Taishan after Shanghai SIPG, Guangzhou Evergrande and Jiangsu Suning. However, in the past four years, the Chinese Super League has not been a team to defend the title, even the former Asian dominant Guangzhou team, the last time to win the title was two years ago.
In 2020, a new crown epidemic swept the world and the Chinese Super League had to adjust its competition system. The knockout system sparked controversy in the final stage, while Jiangsu Suning announced its dissolution shortly after winning the title, triggering a huge shake-up in Chinese soccer. Companies investing in soccer have reflected on where the future of Chinese soccer lies.
In the wake of the epidemic, the economic climate has hit the Chinese Super League clubs, with investment firms suffering damage. Shandong Taishan and Guangzhou, who led the table this season, were both at the top of the table before the start of the second phase. However, the financial crisis of Guangzhou's parent company, Evergrande, has affected the team, with the departure of manager Carlo Cannavaro and naturalized players, putting a damper on Guangzhou's title bid. The situation may be even tougher for other unpaid clubs, with the possibility of even another team disbanding next season...
Looking back at the history of Chinese professional soccer, Dalian Shide (Wanda) led the way in the A-League era, winning the title seven times. In the Chinese Super League era, Shenzhen Jianlibao won the title for the first time, while Shandong Luneng won the title three times in 2006, 2008 and 2010. The others were Changchun Yatai and Beijing Guoan once each, and Dalian Shide won its last top-flight title in 2005.
The 2011-2017 season saw the rise of the Guangzhou Evergrande dynasty, topping the table 9 times, tying Dalian Shide as the first in the history of Chinese professional soccer. Had it not been for the change to a knockout system in the second half of the 2020 season, Guangzhou Evergrande would have been expected to achieve the feat of winning the title nine times.
Now, under the club share reform and salary limitation policy, the Chinese Super League may be ushering in a group situation, with the gap between the teams narrowing, and the king-level teams may no longer exist.
