Shanghai (AFP)

Sustainability rather than resounding "blows": the era of lavish transfers and staggering salaries in the Chinese Championship could come to an end, precipitated by tighter financial control of the Chinese Football Federation (CFA).

"Chinese Super League (CSL) club spending is almost ten times that of the South Korean K-League, and three times that of the Japanese J-League," Chen Xuyuan calculated, the president of the CFA.

In recent years, the arrival at Shanghai SIPG of the Brazilian international Oscar for 60 million euros - a record for a Chinese club - or the former Porto Hulk striker, recruited by the same club for 55.8 million EUR, have made China an Eldorado for some footballers.

The amount of salaries paid to stars of the CSL worsens the financial equation of the clubs: Oscar would receive more than 20 million euros annually and the Belgian media reported an annual salary of 14.5 million EUR for the former " Red devil "Marouane Fellaini, debauched in early 2019 by Shandong Luneng.

But "the (financial) bubbles affect not only the present, but also the future of Chinese football," warns Chen Xuyuan, elected head of the Chinese federation in August 2019. In addition, "our national team (75th in the Fifa ranking , Editor's note) is lagging behind. "

- Screw turn -

Faced with this observation, the Chinese Federation has given a financial turnaround.

Since January 1, foreign players can no longer receive more than three million euros per year, while the remuneration of Chinese players has been capped at around 630,000 euros per year.

According to the official Xinhua news agency, CSL clubs will have to renegotiate new contracts with all their players, but may offer endorsements to those whose annual salary exceeds the cap.

"The benchmark should not be spending but sustainability," said AFP Liu Yi, secretary general of the CFA.

"From now on, we are aiming for better governance, a more sustainable economic model and a better training system so that young players develop and make our selection more competitive", detailed the manager.

Like Fellaini or former Barcelona midfielder Paulinho, "a few big names are still playing in China. But has that contributed to the progress of local players?" Asked Liu Yi.

The wage cap only accentuates an older trend in favor of fiscal discipline.

In 2017, a few months after Oscar's arrival in Shanghai, the CFA had already imposed a 100% tax on transfer fees for foreign players recruited by Chinese clubs.

The money raised was directed towards supporting young footballers in the country.

- "A frugal Super League" -

The departures in recent months of the Hulk, at the end of their contract, or of the former Italian international Graziano Pellè, have sounded like so many examples of the end of an era.

Above all, from 2018 and the precipitous departure of Carlos Tevez's Shanghai Shenhua, after becoming the highest paid footballer in the world with 38 million euros annually, the model showed its limits.

Also constrained by the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese clubs no longer plan to spend fortunes for next season, which must begin in the spring.

In their sights are rather free players, available for a loan or valued at less than 45 million yuan (5.6 million EUR), the threshold from which the 100% tax applies.

In the Oriental Sports Daily newspaper, columnist Ge Aiping places the "peak" of the Chinese championship in 2015 and 2016.

"The British channel Sky Sports was broadcasting the championship, its market value was reaching record levels," he recalls.

But according to him, "a frugal Super League can reinforce a better development" of Chinese football.

And for those nostalgic for the past splendor, Liu Yi recalls that the championship still brings together prestigious coaches, such as Rafael Benitez in Dalian or Fabio Cannavaro in Guangzhou.

Frenchman Bruno Genesio, vice-champion of the CSL in 2019 and third in 2020, left the bench of Beijing Guoan on Wednesday, where he was succeeded by Croatian Slaven Bilic.

© 2021 AFP