China News Network client Beijing, May 24 (Bian Liqun) On the 23rd, the new season Chinese Football Association third-tier league team entry list was officially released, and a paper announcement completely broke the recent calm of domestic football. The 14 teams that participated in the professional league last season collectively "dead". Under the tragic and cruel, all that remains is helplessness and sigh. After some "survival of the fittest", it seems that it is time for Chinese football to settle down.
Data map: On March 30, 2019, in the third round of the 2019 Liga League, the Sichuan FC team lost to the Guangdong South China Tigers 0: 2. Both teams are now disqualified. Image source: Osports All Sports Pictures
In fact, this list of teams covering the third-tier league was supposed to be released in January, but due to the pressure of many teams to face the problem of unresolved wage arrears, the Football Association did not announce it until the day of Lichun on February 4. The salary and bonus confirmation form of each level of the league announced that 9 teams were "dead."
Since then, Tianjin Tianhai, Liaozu and other teams have also experienced problems, and the league admission was dragged into the "overtime". It wasn't until the end of May that this third-tier league list finally landed. The time span is long enough to peep into the complexity and difficulty of it.
Football Association Announcement Screenshot
According to the Football Association's announcement, the Chinese Super League team Tianjin Tianhai, the Chinese Second Team Shenzhen Pengcheng and Hangzhou Wuyue Qiantang took the initiative to declare their withdrawal from the professional league.
Last season, the Chinese team A Guangdong Guangdong South China Tigers, Sichuan FC, Liaozu, Shanghai Shenxin, Chinese team B Yinchuan Helan Mountain, Dalian Gigabit, Fujian Tianxin, Yanbian Beiguo, Jilin Baijia, Nanjing Shaye, Baoding Yingliyi These 11 clubs were disqualified by the Chinese Football Association because of unresolved wage problems.
In this "death list", there are a total of 14 teams that participated in the professional league last season, of which 1 is a Chinese Super League team, 4 are Chinese First Division teams, and 9 are Chinese Second Division teams.
Liaozu and Tianjin Tianhai are among the representative teams. The former is the "ten-crown" with a long history and has won the Asian Club Cup. The latter also had a highlight moment in the AFC Champions League. When it was dying, it struggled with all its strength. Unfortunately, it still failed to escape the shackles of no money. They were all engulfed in the wave of Jin Yuan and became the unfortunate losers of the post-Jin Yuan era of Chinese football.
Shanghai Shanggang introduced Brazilian foreign aid Lopez from South Korean team Jeonbuk Hyundai. Image source: Shanghai Shanggang Football Club
Entering 2020, Chinese football is indeed not the same as usual. The two-month winter transfer window is a bit deserted, and the king is only Shanghai-Hong Kong foreign aid Lopez with a transfer fee of 5.46 million euros. After experiencing the luxury and hustle and bustle of joining big-name star groups, the golden age of Chinese football seems to be over.
The current situation has the guiding role of the Football Association policy in recent years, and it is also the result of regularity. In the past 10 years of gold dollar football, the cost of operating the team has risen, and the transfer fee premium for foreign aid and domestic players is even more serious.
Statistics show that half of the top 20 players in world pay in 2017 were foreign aid in the Chinese Super League. In a 2016 statistic, the labor cost of the domestic Super League team accounted for 67% of the total expenditure, which was abnormal. In that year, the collective losses of the Super League clubs amounted to 3.9 billion yuan.
Screenshot of Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Football Club's 2019 financial report
In this "arms race", the Chinese Super League has no shortage of teams that can invest a lot of money on the back of strong financial investors, but for most civilian teams and the low-level teams of China A and China B, it is extremely important. The above is a disaster. Passively increasing spending, many investors are unsustainable. The team has dropped from the Chinese Super League to Chinese A, Chinese B, or even disbanded.
Liaozu is a vivid example. This veteran team has suffered from insufficient funds since entering the professional era. Although the results are far from the ten-time champion period, with the advantage of local players' output, they can at least be self-sufficient, maintain their operations by training players and selling them, and even make a surplus.
However, under the impact of Jin Yuan, this method is no longer enough for them to survive in the Chinese Super League. Even in the Liga League, this former king became more difficult until he died of serious illness.
Shanghai Shenxin was also a civilian team who played in the Super League all the year round. Relying on the overall style of play and a highly cost-effective operation method, Shanghai Xinxin set a unique style in the Super League. It is a pity that they were eventually swallowed by the Jin Yuan wave, fell into China B after falling into China A, barely maintained for a few seasons, and finally disbanded.
Data map: On September 28, 2019, in the 27th round of the 2019 Liga League, Shanghai Shenxin lost to Zhejiang Greentown 1: 2, and Shen Xin was relegated three rounds in advance. Image source: Osports All Sports Pictures
The Jin Yuan wave of Chinese football has been sweeping for nearly 10 years. It is undeniable that Jin Yuan football has brought a rare heat to the league. A large number of fans have poured into the stadium, and the Chinese Super League is booming. But what will be left after the tide recedes?
Chinese football has been professionalized for 27 years. In the so-called profession, our league has not yet explored a sustainable development path. Professional teams are extremely dependent on investors and are vulnerable.
14 The demise of clubs is so normal that such a large area of "survival of the fittest" is hard to say. After continuous blood transfusions, Chinese football should indeed enter a cooling-off period and take a good look. Otherwise, we will see more Liaozu and Tianjin Tianhai in the future. (Finish)