On May 22nd, Beijing time zone, AFP news agency has come out with heavy news: Jacob Mulenga, former Liaozhu football player, and Marko Basic, former player of Taizhou Yuanda, complained in unison that they have suffered the pain of unpaid wages at their Chinese clubs.
It is reported that Liaoning Hongyun Club has auctioned off its assets due to the pressure of debt repayment, but there is still a big gap between the money raised and the US$850,000 demanded by Mulenga. Zambian striker Mulenga is not an isolated case, Croatian midfielder Bassić is also in deep trouble, and the amount of his unpaid salary is still unknown.
Both Mulenga and Bacic have accused the club of forging signatures in an attempt to cover up the non-payment of salaries. AFP sarcastically noted that clubs defaulting on players' salaries has long been commonplace in Chinese soccer, but the incident, in which Jiangsu FC went bankrupt in February and won the title just 100 days later, brought the issue to a head.
In an interview with AFP, Mulenga, who is currently playing in the Dutch second division, said, "I want to make this as public as possible so that as many people as possible are aware of it. Until I receive my salary, everyone must take responsibility." He has sought help from FIFA but was told the club no longer exists and is powerless.
Liaoning, once the dominant team in the Chinese Super League and winners of the 1990 Asian Club Cup, announced its dissolution last May. Mulenga revealed that he suffered unpaid wages in his second season with Liaoning: "And the Chinese Super League went on as usual ...... defaulting on foreign players' salaries as if nothing had happened."
Basich, 32, also says Taizhou Yuanda owed him two months, or about $90,000, in salary arrears last season, and that the club, which was founded only four years ago, abruptly dissolved in March. Like Mulenga, Bacic has accused the club of forging signatures in order to register for the tournament.
"They forged our signatures and registered without any problems." Speaking to AFP from his home in Switzerland before leaving for China, Bacic, who did not want to reveal his story, said, "They forged 15 signatures claiming that we had received all our salaries. Part of my salary was paid in cash and I wrote to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport in January, but so far there has been no response."
FIFA did not respond to AFP's comments, while the CFA blamed a "small number" of clubs and said it was a matter for the courts and labor arbitration authorities. More than 20 clubs have announced their withdrawal from professional leagues over the past two years due to financial problems, a warning to foreigners that China, which attracted 60 million euros worth of foreign stars in 2017, including Oscar, is now under financial pressure. Global soccer union federation FIFPro expressed concerns about the CFA last year, telling AFP, "Given the large number of clubs that have closed down with little notice, we are concerned not only about the sustainability of professional soccer in China, but also about the lack of appropriate mechanisms to protect the livelihoods of players."
