Problems mount for mainland players
Mainland soccer players are facing their biggest crisis since the sport turned professional a decade ago with rising unemployment and massive pay cuts looming, an official at the Chinese Football Association (CFA) warned yesterday.
In an effort to avert a crisis the CFA delayed the scheduled closure of the off-season transfer window on Wednesday until next Tuesday.
However, that will be of scant consolation to players seeking new contracts. Of the all-time record 612 players released by more than 50 professional clubs, only 96 have secured deals for the new season.
The official said: 'We're expecting the highest unemployment rate ever seen since China's leagues turned professional a decade ago.'
The 12 Chinese Super League clubs released 143 players, while a little more than 30 newcomers have been taken on by teams.
Most teams in the top flight have suffered financially in the past two years due to plunging attendances. Their plight worsened last weekend when German electronic maker Siemens decided against renewing its multi-million euro sponsorship of the league.
Among the desperate job hunters are big-name stars such as 2002 World Cup national team striker Qu Bo and goalie An Qi, who struggled after being dumped by seven-time champions Dalian Shide until landing a meagre contract with second division minnows Dalian Changbo on Wednesday.
'Even players with secure jobs will have to accept massive pay cuts,' said Shanghai-based agent Zhou Jun. 'With the exception of a few clubs like Shandong Luneng, regular national team players could get no more than one million yuan this year. That's less than half of what they used to earn.'
