The first stage of the Chinese Super League has ended, and the level of competition and attention has been significantly reduced
How Chinese football in labor can get back on track
On July 12, the first stage of the 2022 Chinese Super League will end, and will enter a nearly one-month league break.
Before that, some "good news" about the Chinese Super League followed one after another-
The Chinese Super League company distributed the last part of the league’s “dividends” to the Chinese Super League teams last season. In the end, each team earned about 10 million yuan; the second stage of the Chinese Super League is about to resume the home and away system, and the return of fans seems to be just around the corner... After nearly two years of hard work After the ups and downs, the Chinese Super League suddenly had a feeling of "all the hardships come to an end".
However, is this really the case?
At least from the perspective of the first stage of the league this season, the quality of the game, which is regarded as the foundation of the league, has not been significantly improved, the local players who have high expectations have grown slowly, and the chronic ailments of wage arrears that have plagued the Chinese Super League for many seasons are still hard to get rid of. The operation of the Chinese Super League club is still difficult... When the "golden dollar bubble" that spends thousands of dollars suddenly burst, and the Chinese Super League is in chaos and confusion, where should it go?
The competitive landscape of the league has changed dramatically
The "promoted horse" has become a "big dark horse". Fans who have followed the first stage of the Chinese Super League will probably feel this way.
Thanks to the "expansion" of the Chinese Super League this season, Wuhan Sanzhen and Meizhou Hakka, the champions and runners-up of the Chinese Super League last season, as well as the Zhejiang and Chengdu teams that were promoted through the play-offs, have all successfully entered the Chinese Super League this season.
After the first stage of the league, the three towns of Wuhan, which ranked first in the standings, are undoubtedly the most eye-catching "promoted horses".
Thanks to the well-organized domestic and foreign aid, stable investment (it is reported to be 300 million yuan), and early training in training, Wuhan Three Towns have won 8 wins and 1 draw in the first 9 rounds and remained unbeaten, scoring 32 goals and conceding only 6 goals, the most goals scored in the Super League. Yes, conceding the ball is the least.
Even Guangzhou Evergrande, who won the Chinese Super League championship as a "promoted horse" in the 2011 season, couldn't compare with Wuhan's three towns in the opening stage of the league.
In addition to the strength of the three towns in Wuhan, the performance of the other "promoted" teams also has some bright spots - Meizhou Hakka basically stabilized in the top 6 in the first stage of the league, with two draws with Beijing Guoan, and double kills in Shenzhen, showing good strength; Zhejiang The team has always been in the top 10 of the league, and also contributed a wonderful game to defeat the previous champion Shandong Taishan.
As the club's investors faced difficulties and tightened their money, the Guangzhou team, which had won the "eight consecutive championships" of the Chinese Super League, Guangzhou City, which frequently staged "golden derby" with the Guangzhou team, and the Hebei team, which repeatedly set a record of heavy signings in the past. The season has been in the relegation zone without exception, and Guangzhou City has not even won in the first stage.
Among the rest of the teams, Shandong Taishan's performance has fluctuated slightly, but it still maintains the competitiveness of the championship; Henan Songshan Longmen has performed steadily, and Shanghai Shenhua has rebounded strongly. Whether they can maintain a good momentum has a significant impact on the league championship situation; After the lack of key foreign aid, the strength has declined significantly, and the local players who have high expectations are mediocre; Beijing Guoan, Changchun Yatai and Shenzhen teams continue to play the role of "spoilers" in the league, and it is too early to talk about the championship.
The key point is coming
Before the match against Zhejiang in the 10th round of the league, Guangzhou media reported that Guangzhou City Club recently repaid some wages.
Since last season, Guangzhou City has suffered from wage arrears many times, and the club's equity restructuring has been pending.
For the former giants such as Guangzhou City, Guangzhou Team, Hebei Team, etc., the upcoming interim period of the league may not bring them much respite.
According to the "Solutions for Wage Arrears of Chinese Professional Football Clubs" announced by the Chinese Football Association in April this year, clubs not only must not have new wage arrears this season, but also must resolve the 2021 season and before this year.
Among them, July 31 this year is the first key node. Chinese Super League clubs that have arrears of wages must settle no less than 30% of the total wages before that.
Otherwise, the clubs involved will be banned from registering new players in the second transfer window of the season and three points will be deducted from the league points.
Solving 30% of the unpaid wages may not seem like a lot, but for most Chinese Super League teams that are unable to make ends meet, it is not easy to achieve this goal.
It is reported that clubs with more arrears of wages may not be able to achieve the 30% amount even if all the dividends from the Chinese Super League last season are used to solve the problem of arrears.
According to relevant media reports, as of now, only 8 Chinese Super League teams do not have the problem of wage arrears.
More than half of the teams have wage arrears or business problems. How can such a Chinese Super League improve the quality and lay a solid foundation for Chinese football?
It is urgent to "improve the quality" of the league
Recently, a piece of news from FIFPRO (International Federation of Professional Players) made Chinese professional footballers ashamed-according to the organization's announcement, the Chinese Super League was listed together with the leagues of 7 countries including Greece, Turkey, Libya and Saudi Arabia. It is a "high-risk league", mainly because of the widespread breach of contract in these leagues, and professional players are expected to go cautiously.
Since the 2011 season, some Chinese Super League teams represented by Evergrande have created the so-called "Golden Decade" of the Chinese Super League with heavy investment and crazy signings regardless of cost.
However, the sequelae of "Golden Yuan Football" soon appeared: the value of domestic and foreign aid was inflated, the level of local players was stagnant, club operations were in trouble, and the foundation for the sustainable development of professional leagues was completely destroyed...
It can be said that it is precisely because of the quick success and false prosperity of the Chinese Super League in the past 10 years that the current league has suffered from a large area of wage arrears, club operations are difficult, and the quality of games has not improved but declined.
Coincidentally, the AFC recently announced the latest technical rankings of the Asian Football League, and the ranking of the Chinese Super League has dropped to 16th.
Just two seasons ago, the Chinese Super League was in the top 6 in Asia.
If this dilemma is not improved, starting from the 2024-2025 season, the number of Chinese Super League teams in the AFC Champions League will be reduced to one, and more teams can only participate in the AFC’s second-tier club competition. FA Cup.
When the "Golden Dollar Football" bubble burst, the Chinese Super League should not continue to try and make mistakes in the vicious circle, but should resolutely correct the deviation and return to rationality.
"From thrift to luxury is easy, and from luxury to thrift is difficult." Whether it is a club or a player, they may experience pain in the process of reducing investment and rational management, but this is the only way for the Chinese Football Professional League to get back on track.
Chinese football urgently needs to really straighten out the domestic football market, explore and formulate a more scientific and reasonable club financial management system, promote the reform of club ownership structure, improve the league operating environment and level, and encourage investment in youth training.
The road, in fact, has always been underfoot.
(Lee Won Ho)