It is imperative for the men's football team to "limit salary and limit investment".
Each club has different views on the new standard, but the understanding of all parties is relatively unified
Recently, rumors about "the Chinese Football Association is about to introduce a stricter salary limit order" and "the maximum salary standard for domestic and foreign players in domestic professional clubs" have attracted much attention.
This has brought the outside world's attention to football from the national team back to the professional league level.
Regarding the "salary limit", the outside world has different opinions, but in the national men's football team's top 12 competition, the vast majority of clubs in the domestic professional leagues at all levels are operating in the "downline" background, and the salary limit and investment limit are "overweight". It is the general trend.
"Wage limit" has long been rumored
Although the final rules need to be officially confirmed by the Chinese Football Association and the Chinese Football Federation's preparatory group, it is similar to "the maximum salary of local players in the Chinese Super League shall not exceed 3 million yuan before tax, and the maximum salary of foreign aid individuals shall not exceed 2 million euros before tax. The content of reducing the investment limit to 300 million” was actually mentioned at the relevant meeting of the Chinese Football Association held in Chengdu in early January.
The active national football coaches and national football players have also heard the wind before going to Japan to participate in the seventh round of the top 12 competition.
The 2021 FA Cup final will be held in Chengdu on January 9 this year.
Taking the opportunity of the game, the Chinese Football Association held an executive committee meeting and other special work meetings in Chengdu before the game.
The content of further salary restrictions and investment restrictions for domestic professional league clubs was mentioned again.
Similar content was also thrown out at the communication meeting between the professional league management department and the club between the Chinese Super League and the relegation playoffs of the Chinese Super League in the 2021 season.
Players are ready
Although the Chinese Football Association and the Chinese Football Federation have not publicly stated their position on the specific rules so far, but in view of the fact that the "additional salary limit" is "top-down", that is to say, force majeure.
Therefore, professional clubs at all levels have been psychologically prepared for this.
When the national football team was preparing for the top 12 away game against Japan in Shanghai in mid-January, a team insider from the Chinese Super League club commented: "We have heard that (the club will further limit salary), and we will wait for the final figures to be announced. already."
When it comes to the salary limit of domestic professional clubs, we have to reiterate the origin of the matter.
On November 20, 2019, the Chinese Football Association notified in the form of an official document that the Chinese Super League, Chinese League One and Chinese League Two clubs suspend the signing of personal work contracts with domestic players, including but not limited to initial agreements, new contracts and renewal contracts. The object of the suspension of signing individual work contracts is the domestic players of the first team and reserve team of various professional clubs.
More than a month later, on December 26 of that year, the first "salary limit order" came unexpectedly.
According to its regulations, the contracts signed by ordinary domestic players of Chinese Super League clubs after November 20, 2019 are new contracts, and their maximum pre-tax salary shall not exceed 10 million yuan. The standards for the identification of applicable national football players were also introduced at the same time).
The contracts signed by foreign players after January 1, 2020 are new contracts, and the newly signed salary cannot exceed 3 million euros after tax.
Less than a year later, the Chinese Football Association launched the "Enhanced Salary Limit Order" on December 24, 2020, which stipulated that the pre-tax maximum salary of ordinary local players in the Chinese Super League first team was reduced from 10 million to 5 million yuan ( Pre-tax), international players will no longer enjoy preferential policies on salary standards.
The understanding of all parties is more unified
Before and after the Lunar New Year in the Year of the Tiger, it is reported that the Chinese Football Association will launch a new version of the salary limit order. The maximum salary of ordinary local players is 3 million yuan before tax, and the maximum salary of foreign aid cannot exceed 2 million euros before tax.
The maximum single-season investment of each Chinese Super League club has been halved from the previous 600 million yuan to 300 million yuan.
It can be seen that the relevant salary restrictions and investment restrictions of the China League One and China League Two will also be lowered to a lower point.
A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily learned that although different clubs expressed different views on the specific standards for salary and investment restrictions due to their different operational goals and economic bases, it is imperative to "further increase salary and investment restrictions". Fang's understanding is relatively unified.
In fact, the vast majority of local professional clubs are more welcoming of "limited salary and investment".
On the one hand, in the past two or three seasons, affected by the single ownership model of clubs and the overall investment in professional football, the parent companies of each club have been under enormous economic pressure. Tiger's "resurrection" and the large-scale arrears of wages throughout the season have exacerbated the turmoil in the local professional league, and the integrity and standardization of the league have been seriously threatened.
Restricted salary and investment can alleviate the operating pressure of each club to a considerable extent, and can also give potential partners greater investment courage in the process of clubs promoting their respective shareholding reforms.
On the other hand, the dismal record of China's national-brand men's team on various fronts is seriously inconsistent with the salary level of millions or even tens of millions, which has also caused widespread controversy and criticism in the society.
Professional leagues live their lives carefully
It is worth noting that due to the impact of the epidemic and the downward trajectory of the professional football economy, the Chinese Football Association and the Chinese Football Federation preparatory groups have not yet implemented the entry work for professional leagues at all levels in the new season. There are also some variables in the influence of factors.
This is actually the reason why the parties have not been able to introduce relevant regulations and rules for a long time.
Judging from the fact that many Chinese Super League clubs have given up high-paid foreign aid, foreign famous coaches, and invited "familiar faces" to return to the coaching stage, the domestic professional leagues have already made plans to "tighten their belts" and live their lives carefully, and this may also be the case. What the professional league must experience to remove the "false prosperity" and restore the true appearance of the local professional league.
For the majority of professional league practitioners, especially professional players, it is meaningless to complain or express dissatisfaction. What they need most at the moment is to do their job well.
For clubs, they need to use their thinking, establish and improve a development and operation mechanism that conforms to the laws of the market, and devote themselves to "open source", so as to revitalize the professional league business environment and dig out a truly scientific profit model.
Text/Reporter Xiao Xun