The "earthquake" in Chinese football is not far away as we enter 2025. According to multiple media figures and journalists, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) will announce the entry list within a week, with the names of Guangzhou FC and Cangzhou Mighty Lions likely absent.
This month, the CFA has published twice the list of clubs that have completed debt repayment, with all teams from China's three-tier league successfully passing. However, after these two lists were announced, many teams received complaints, among which Guangzhou FC and Cangzhou Mighty Lions received the most, also having the greatest impact.
Guangzhou FC faced public confrontations from former players like Wei Shihao, while Cangzhou Mighty Lions was questioned by ten players. Naturally, these two clubs became the focus of the CFA's investigation.
This week, Cangzhou Mighty Lions released a statement claiming that the team had raised sufficient funds. However, the timing of the funds' arrival was one day later than the stipulated deadline. According to regulations, the CFA cannot allow Cangzhou to pass the entry. As a result, the Cangzhou Mighty Lions players collectively appealed to the CFA for leniency.
Media figure Miao Yuan revealed that the CFA will announce the final entry list within a week. "We will see what the final entry list for the three-tier leagues looks like in the coming week; everyone can wait and look forward to it."
However, the list may not include the names of Cangzhou and Guangzhou FC. Journalist Li Xuan emphasized, "So far, there is no news that Cangzhou Mighty Lions might pass the entry, and personally, I feel the hope is becoming increasingly slim."
Additionally, according to the famous domestic sports media "Live Bar," Guangzhou FC's entry qualification is also seriously questionable, with concerns from the CFA about their ability to repay debts in the future. Previously, media person Pan Weili disclosed that Guangzhou FC's total debt approached 100 billion!
If Guangzhou FC and Cangzhou Mighty Lions ultimately fail to pass the entry and are unable to participate in next season's league, this would undoubtedly be a super earthquake in Chinese football!
Regarding the plight of multiple teams repeatedly falling into debt crises, media person Feng Zhen lamented, "Look, Chen Xuyuan was right; Chinese football is ultimately public welfare football, forever only capable of being public welfare football. Public welfare football is planned economy football, subsidized football. If you can get subsidies, you live; if you can't, you die."
Before his imprisonment, Chen Xuyuan gave an interview to CCTV and openly stated that Chinese football itself is a social public welfare product.