Dating back to last year, Shanghai Seaports lifted the Chinese Super League trophy with excitement. Although they were hit with allegations of eight instances of improper benefits, these allegations did not stop Shanghai players such as Wu Lei from throwing themselves into the celebrations with tears in their eyes at the moment of winning the title. Why is that? It turns out that the fines levied against Shanghai last year came mainly from private individuals and non-FA officials' self-interest.
However, this year the situation is very different! The ruling of the FA panel amounted to a formal statement from the official. Despite the result of the match being decided, it amounted to an official follow-up statement - stating that there was a benefit gained in Hong Kong.
Some fans argued that there were indeed gains in Hong Kong, so the impact of Hong Kong was negligible. However, Hong Kong fans retorted that you did not know anything about soccer. However, the ruling of the FA's panel was different in that it was a correction after the fact, reflecting the official stance of the FA. This ruling instantly overturned the comments made by other fans - Hong Kong had indeed profited. This is undoubtedly a resounding slap in the face.
In fact, the Harbour team has seen a significant reduction in penalty profits this season compared to last season, but it was in the crucial battle to decide the halfway point of the Super League title that they made two consecutive profits and won three points in the decisive match that one cannot help but daydream about.
There is a lot of talk about this outside. The FA may just have to admit outright to bad judgment and misjudgment. Although this will bring shame to the Harbour team, it also shows the outside world that the FA is committed to improving the quality of the league. This move is expected to rebuild fans' confidence in the league's development!
