The 2025 season is getting closer, and the Football Association has already released the competition calendar for the 2025 season. However, there has been no news about the entry list, and we are currently only at the stage of announcing the debt-clearing list. The second batch of debt-clearing lists announced by the Football Association has been out for several days, and the four-day public announcement period has also ended. This means that the Football Association will officially start the review work on the second batch of lists. If no one raises objections, or if objections are rejected by the Football Association, it will enter the remaining entry qualification review process.
Compared to the first batch of lists, the second batch is obviously more controversial because all the teams that did not make it into the first batch have entered the second batch of debt-clearing lists. This means that all the teams in the domestic three-level professional leagues have completed debt-clearing, which is unlikely according to our understanding. After the end of the public announcement period for the second batch of lists, the pressure is now on the Football Association, as many players have raised public doubts after the list was announced, and the Football Association should not ignore this situation.
After the list was announced, Wei Shihao was the first to speak up, questioning how Guangzhou FC managed to clear its debts. Afterwards, other players also publicly voiced their doubts. By the end of the public announcement period, as many as 15 people had openly questioned the list, not including those who did not openly question but directly appealed to the Football Association. These 15 people include three former Guangzhou FC players, including Wei Shihao, and ten players collectively accused Cangzhou Mighty Lions, as well as two other team members. Although the number of teams being questioned is not large, the number of people raising questions is considerable, and there are national-level players like Wei Shihao, Yang Liyu, and Yan Dinghao. Although these are old issues, since they have spoken up, the Football Association probably cannot pretend not to hear them.
If we follow the stance of the Football Association, it is to pursue stability rather than rationality, so the Football Association hopes that all teams can be admitted, and wage arrears can be resolved slowly. However, from the perspective of the players, when their interests are harmed, they must hope to fight for their own interests, so the pressure is now on the Football Association. Whether the Football Association will strictly enforce the entry standards or give the clubs a green light, we need to pay close attention to this next.
Of course, these players have only publicly questioned, and whether they really go through the process to appeal to the Football Association is unknown. The Football Association should not explain the reports on the debt-clearing list later, so we can only look at the final entry list. If there are no changes and it is still full admission, it can be understood that the Football Association intends to let these clubs off, or it may be that the evidence cannot directly overturn the list of the Football Association, resulting in full admission.