May 24 – Having withdrawn last week as hosts of the 2023 Asian Cup, Chinese football has suffered yet another blow just days before the start of the new Super League season by the sudden withdrawal of Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic.
The club have ceased operations and their accounts frozen after 26 years of existence because of rising debts in the latest crisis to envelop the league. Players and staff had already turned to the courts to pursue unpaid wages going back more than a year
Chinese social media showed fans pictured leaving flowers outside the premises of the club, which said it had “very regretfully decided to withdraw from the Chinese professional football league and disband the team” despite investing more than 3 billion yuan (US$450 million) over the past six years.
According to agency reports, the Chinese Football Association is understood to have called an urgent meeting to discuss the option of replacing the club in the CSL, with Dalian Pro believed to be a candidate to step in.
The new season is due to kick off on June 3 but the loss of Chongqing is a further blow to the CSL, which is expected to play out the entire campaign in empty stadiums because of Covid-19.
A succession of Chinese clubs have collapsed in recent years, including 2020 CSL champions Jiangsu Suning, a result of lavish but totally irresponsible spending.
Chongqing’ players did not mince their words.
“From 2019 until now, we have been subjected to the miseries caused by unpaid salaries,” they said previously in an open letter before the club was disbanded. “Our consistent, quiet and wholehearted commitment has been rewarded by repeated lip service that failed to be realised.”
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1741659608labto1741659608ofdlr1741659608owedi1741659608sni@w1741659608ahsra1741659608w.wer1741659608dna1741659608
