Chongqing head coach Chang Woe-ryong chokes back tears after describing ‘difficult’ year as emotions boil over at financially stricken Chinese Super League
- The realities of the 2021 season boil over for the Korean coach during a press conference before Chongqing’s match against Wuhan
- Many CSL clubs have buckled under the financial stresses of their corporate owners, losing key players and unable to pay staff
Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic FC head coach Chang Woe-ryong was on the verge of tears after describing the year his club faces, unable to pay players and coaching staff, symbolic of a deep financial crisis within the Chinese Super League.
During a press conference ahead of Monday’s CSL play-off between Chongqing and Wuhan FC, Chang could manage only a few words, before emotions boiled over.
The 2021 Chinese Super League season will play out its final game on Monday under a cloud of uncertainty, and the tensions of the past year are bubbling to the surface.
In a tweet, China Sports Vision 2050 wrote Chang “began to weep after a few words. Players & staff, without getting paid for a long time, have experienced a season which cannot be more tough”.
The raw emotion reflected the dire state of the CSL, once touted as the new powerhouse in world football, with eye-watering sums on offer for top international players and rapid construction of new stadiums in the hope China would step up and host a World Cup of its own.