Reporter Chen Yong reported that as the teams of the Chinese Super League, the Chinese First Division and the Chinese Second League gradually began to enter the winter training time, the 2022 season seems to be getting closer and closer, but the access to the third-tier league in the 2022 season has become a problem of scratching its head, and the key to the problem is the general phenomenon of wage arrears in the clubs of the third-tier league.
As we all know, in the 2021 season, there will be a large-scale wage arrears in the Chinese Super League, at least 3/4, that is, no less than 12 clubs have different degrees of wage arrears.
We will not repeat the reasons for the wage arrears, but what is more important at present is the solution of the problem of wage arrears, at least for more than a month after the end of the 2021 season, there is no news that the wage arrears of clubs have eased. Some of these clubs have problems again, such as Hebei Football Club, which was originally scheduled to regroup on February 8, but on the day of the concentration, Hebei Club officially announced the postponement of the concentration, which is reported to be due to the delay in the stock reform.
This situation is by no means unique to Hebei Football Club, at present, some clubs that have completed the share reform have also owed wages because of some obstacles after the stock reform, some clubs that are undergoing stock reform, the stock reform itself has a dilemma, the solution to the problem of wage arrears is naturally not taken care of, and some clubs have not yet carried out stock reform, and existing investors have also had difficulties, or the desire to invest has been greatly reduced, and they have begun to owe wages.
At present, the opening time of the league has not yet been finalized, normally speaking, the 2022 season of the Chinese Super League will start at the end of April, of course, if 4 Chinese Super League clubs are required to play in the AFC Champions League, the possibility of starting at the end of May is not ruled out. In addition, whether the Chinese Super League will open home and away games is also a question, although all parties are calling on the Chinese Super League to open the home and away format, but there are still some difficulties.
Regardless of the format, whether it starts at the end of April or the end of May, normally the Chinese Super League should be completed at the end of February and the beginning of March, even if it is postponed a little longer, then the middle of March is probably the limit.
At present, no matter when the access review is carried out and when the access is closed, the problem of unpaid wages cannot be substantively resolved, so the access review has become a problem that makes the Football Association scratch its head very much.
For now, the only thing the FA can do is probably to relax the scale. In fact, the impact of the access review of clubs is probably far more than salary arrears, but also other access standards such as echelon construction, and at present, many clubs also have no small problems.
Of course, choosing to relax the law on the access review of unpaid wages is not responsible, and the Football Association can also find some reasons, for example, the Chinese Super League for two consecutive years has been conducted in the context of the epidemic, the two years of the three-tier league are tournaments, and the Chinese Super League has not completed the due rounds for two consecutive years. Against this backdrop, it is not unacceptable that access reviews have been relaxed. However, the solution to the phenomenon of wage arrears must be put on the schedule.
Objectively speaking, the current Chinese professional football league has entered a trough and a period of change, in this trough period, the survival of clubs is difficult, and the reform is more difficult, so the future direction of the Chinese Super League professional league has become no longer clear.
But no matter what kind of league, whether it is dominated by private enterprise capital or state-owned capital, solving wage arrears is the first priority of clubs, a club with unpaid wages cannot be regarded as a normal club at all, and a league with too many unpaid clubs is not a professional league.
Therefore, even if the Football Association has adjusted, relaxed the review standards, and temporarily given a certain degree of understanding for the phenomenon of wage arrears, in the next 1 to 2 years, the problem of wage arrears must be solved, in other words, the access review must return to normal, and clubs that owe wages will not be allowed to enter.
We hope to use a short period of 1 year, the longest is not more than 2 years to solve this problem, otherwise the problem of unpaid wages is not solved, it will seriously hit the enthusiasm of football practitioners, seriously hit the enthusiasm of fans, and will seriously hit the enthusiasm of youth players (parents), there are already many youth players who have chosen to study instead of playing in professional leagues, of which once the youth training is broken, it will be a disaster, and it is likely to lay the foundation for failure for the national team after 15 years.
In fact, the best plan may be like this: in the 2022 season, the Chinese Super League will return to the normal home and away format, and at the same time, the 2022 season is also the time left by the Chinese Football Association for the Chinese Super League clubs to finally solve the problem of unpaid wages, and the access review in the 2023 season will be strict.
To put it bluntly, if there are still clubs that can't solve their own wage arrears for another year, then such clubs should no longer appear in the professional league.
It should be emphasized that in the future normal access review, I hope that the Chinese Football Association will not collect any more salary and bonus confirmation forms, and those signatures are not to fool people? The new access review should be based on the club's financial audit, while the salary and bonus confirmation form should be based mainly on bank turnover.