Recently, the most regrettable thing for football fans in China is that three teams have announced their dissolution. Prior to this, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) released the entry list for the 2025 season, with Cangzhou Mighty Lions (CSL), Guangzhou Team (China League One), and Hunan Xiangtao (China League Two) not included, leaving 49 clubs qualified for entry. Shortly after the CFA announcement, these three teams officially announced their disbandment, withdrawing from the professional football league stage in China. Among these teams, the most regrettable and unfortunate is undoubtedly the dissolution of Guangzhou Team, once the dominant force in the Chinese Super League and winner of two AFC Champions League titles. The reason for Guangzhou Team's dissolution was discussed by renowned domestic football journalist Wang Qinqi, who openly stated on social media that such situations will continue to occur in the future due to a unique circumstance within the Chinese Football Association that is unparalleled worldwide.
After the CFA announced the entry list for the 2025 season, Guangzhou Team also officially announced its dissolution. In the announcement, Guangzhou Team stated that it had attempted various means of self-rescue to remain in the Chinese professional league but, unfortunately, due to the heavy historical debt burden, the funds raised were insufficient to repay the debts, ultimately leading to the failure to obtain league entry. It is indeed regrettable that Guangzhou Team, which has won the Chinese Super League title eight times, the AFC Champions League twice, and the FA Cup twice, has disbanded.
The dissolution of Guangzhou Team, with such a glorious record, has received significant attention from foreign media. Reuters reported: "Due to the overwhelming historical debt and insufficient funds raised, Guangzhou Team failed to obtain entry qualifications for the 2025 professional league season, marking the end of the golden era of Chinese football driven by Evergrande." Japanese media commented: "Guangzhou Team was once well-known in the football world, but it has now become history due to failing to meet the entry requirements."
Regarding the reasons for Guangzhou Team's dissolution, renowned football journalist Wang Qinqi posted a lengthy article on social media, providing a candid analysis of the situation. Wang Qinqi confidently stated that events like the dissolution of Guangzhou Team will continue to happen in the future. The reason for this certainty is that Chinese football allows parent groups to treat investment in football as "loans," causing club debts to accumulate like a snowball. This was the case with the former Jiangsu team, and now Guangzhou Team is also facing difficulties due to too many "loans" from Evergrande in the past that cannot be digested.
Wang Qinqi pointed out that although there are similar situations in Europe, "due to the regulatory systems of each European country, the accumulation of loans is unachievable, and once a club's debt reaches a specified amount or ratio, it may not be able to register for the domestic league." Wang Qinqi continued by saying that while the CFA is aware of the consequences of such practices, why has it not taken action? "Because the CFA is the only one in the world that forcibly occupies a 36% stake in the professional league." "Regardless of whether the club's finances are healthy, as long as investors are willing to spend money on football, it is considered to be revitalizing the league, allowing the CFA to gain more income."
Finally, Wang Qinqi asked, "How can you expect a CFA that profits greatly to establish financial regulatory rules?" "If the CFA were to set strict financial regulations like European leagues, clubs would surely rebel and demand that the CFA withdraw its 36% stake." Indeed, Wang Qinqi spoke very frankly. Some fans responded that this truly hits the nail on the head, as the CFA is essentially engaged in a business without capital. What do you think about this, fellow football fans?