Reporter Cheng Shan reported that at 15:30 beijing time on January 3, 2022, the three games of the relegation group in the final round of the 2021 Chinese Super League will start at the same time, namely Wuhan, which has been successfully relegated, against Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic Team, which ranks third from the bottom of the standings with 17 points, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, which ranks fourth from the bottom of the standings with 18 points, against Cangzhou Lions, who have been relegated, and Dalian Renren, who ranks second from the bottom of the standings with 16 points, against Qingdao, which has decided to participate in the play-offs.
The three simultaneous matches will determine the second team to participate in the Super League Play-offs. It is worth mentioning that according to the "2021 Chinese Super League and China League One Play-off Competition Regulations", the accumulated red and yellow cards and corresponding automatic suspensions obtained by players and bench officials of participating teams in their respective leagues do not bring them into the play-offs, which means that participating teams can shake off the adverse effects of the previous red and yellow card suspension and go all out to play the play-offs.
The Super League play-offs are played over a two-legged format and are held in Suzhou on January 8 and 12. The teams that won the 15th and 16th places in the Chinese Super League (Super 15 and Super 16) played against the teams that won the 3rd and 4th places in the Chinese League A (A 3 and A 4) respectively, and the specific matches were: the first round was A 4VS Super 15, Super 16VS A3, and the second round was Super 15VS A 4, A 3VS Super 16. A 3 has been identified as Zhejiang team, A 4 has been identified as Chengdu Rongcheng team, and Super 16 has been identified as Qingdao team.
The technical regulations of the competition are:
(1) The registration qualifications of players on both sides of the competition shall be in accordance with the scope of the registration list after the last transfer window period of the Chinese Super League and the Chinese League A in the 2021 season.
(2) The foreign aid and U23 player playing policy shall be implemented in accordance with the relevant provisions of the regulations of the Chinese League One this season (U23 players are non-Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan domestic players born on or after January 1, 1998).
(3) If the naturalized players (if any) who exceed 15 or 16 do not meet the relevant requirements of Article 8 of the Interim Provisions on the Administration of Naturalized Players of the Chinese Football Association (2020) No. 33, they will occupy the foreign aid quota when participating in the play-off matches.
(4) In each match, each team can register 11 starting players, 12 substitute players, 5 substitutions, the substituted players may not be re-entered, the maximum number of substitution procedures can be performed during the game, and additional substitution procedures can be performed at halftime. In the case of extra time, the number of substitutions per team in the whole game is increased from a maximum of 5 to a maximum of 6, the number of substitutions that can be performed during the match is increased from a maximum of 3 to a maximum of 4, and the substitution procedure at halftime, before the start of extra time and between the first and second halves of extra time is not counted in the total number of substitutions.
(5) The accumulated red and yellow cards and corresponding automatic suspensions obtained by players and substitute officers of participating teams in their respective leagues will not be brought into the play-offs, but if there is a suspension penalty of the Disciplinary Committee of the Chinese Football Association, it will be carried into the play-offs.
(6) During the play-off stage, the player or substitute officer is shown a red card and is naturally suspended for 1 game; the player or substitute officer who receives a yellow card in the first leg of the play-off is not suspended; neither the red or yellow card is fined (except for disciplinary penalties).
A very important provision is that whether it is a Chinese Super League team or a Chinese First Division team, the accumulation of red and yellow cards and the corresponding automatic suspension in the previous league will not be brought into the play-offs, which also means that even if a player receives a red card in the final round of the Chinese Super League, he can still participate in the play-offs. However, if there is a vicious foul that triggers a disciplinary committee suspension penalty, it must be brought to the play-offs. This also gives all the Chinese Super League players in the relegation area a wake-up call, and they should pay attention to the action in the relegation life and death battle to avoid triggering suspension penalties.
The method of determining the ranking in the Super League play-offs is:
1. After two rounds of matches, the two teams win 3 points, draw 1 point, lose one game and get 0 points, and the team with the most points wins; 2. If the two teams have the same points after two rounds of matches, the team with the largest total number of goals wins; 3. If the two teams score the same total number of goals or no goals after the two rounds of matches, after the end of the 90-minute game in the second leg, the 15-minute extra-time match in the first and second halves is held to determine the winner or loser; 4. If the number of goals scored by both sides is still the same or no goal after the extra time game of 15 minutes in the first and second halves, The winner is determined by kicking each other's penalties.
After the end of the Super League play-offs, the 2021 Chinese Football League is all over, and the expansion of the Chinese Super League is also completed, for the Chinese Professional Football League, the next step is to further promote the stock reform, so that all clubs can find a scientific and sustainable way to survive.