24 | Wednesday, November 27, 2019 CHINA DAILY SPORTS

SOCCER Solving the naturalization conundrum

With Team China’s squad featuring two foreign­born stars, new CFA proposals look to strike right balance on imports

By SHI FUTIAN and giving young homegrown talent [email protected] enough minutes on the pitch is also a concern. Ever since Brazil­born Ai Kesen’s groundbreaking debut in the red of Salary cap Team China, debate has raged on Monday’s meeting in Shanghai the issue of naturalized players in also discussed implementing a Chinese soccer. stricter salary cap. The Guangzhou Evergrande for­ Last Wednesday, a CFA statement ward, aka Elkeson, became the first demanded that all clubs delay the player without Chinese heritage to signing of new contracts for domes­ play for the national team in a Sep­ tic players in its top three tiers. The tember World Cup qualifier in the CFA said the move was in the inter­ Maldives. He joined England­born ests of all professional clubs and the Li Ke, who has a mother of Chinese healthy development of Chinese origin, as the squad’s second natu­ soccer. ralized player. Beijing Youth Daily reported that The question of just how far the CSL players’ salaries will remain Chinese Football Association might capped at 10 million yuan ($1.4 mil­ take their naturalization policy has lion), but it’s expected that efforts inevitably arisen, with some fans will be increased to clamp down on even concerned that homegrown clubs that try to exploit loopholes in players could one day be in the the rules. Caps of 6 million yuan and minority in the domestic game. 3 million yuan will apply to second­ According to Beijing Youth Daily, and third­tier teams, respectively. the CFA and representatives of the It is also proposed that any player 16 Chinese Super League clubs met earning the uppermost level of the in Shanghai on Monday to address cap — 10 million yuan — will require potential rule changes on natural­ the club’s permission if he wants to ized players, with a number of eye­ transfer teams. catching proposals emerging from Moreover, each club will be per­ the summit that could be enforced mitted one so­called “Super Foreign next season. Player”, whose transfer fee should Perhaps the most significant pro­ not exceed 25 million euros ($28 posal of all is that naturalized play­ million), with no limits on his salary. ers with Chinese ancestry will be Ai Kesen (right) and Li Ke this year became Team China’s first ever naturalized players. Brazil­born Ai Kesen’s selection garnered extra This proposal, however, did not classified as homegrown and, as attention given he has no Chinese heritage, with the CFA now looking to limit clubs to two such players per squad. XINHUA go down well with a number of such, will be subject to the same clubs, who argued that the “super” rules, including the salary cap, that player’s unlimited salary may domestic players must adhere to. pitch simultaneously. join its naturalized ranks, meaning social media. That has led to fears that unregu­ breach existing rules on investment It is reported that the CFA wants Current CSL leader Evergrande, some could be facing up to loan “In the future, it will be much lated naturalization could widen the and could potentially be damaging to permit each CSL club to register a which is expected to wrap up a spells elsewhere. harder for new naturalized players gap between the haves and have­ to a squad’s overall cohesion. maximum of two naturalized play­ record­extending eighth domestic “Right now only Guangzhou Ever­ without Chinese heritage to enter nots as powerhouses like Evergran­ A final round of talks is scheduled ers without Chinese heritage, but title on Sunday, would appear to grande and Shandong Luneng have Chinese professional leagues.” de could choose to inject more for early December when the CFA with only one allowed on the pitch have the most to lose from the naturalized players without Chinese While Ai Kesen has helped level foreign talent into their squads, will hope to iron out these details. at the same time. would­be policy. heritage, and under the new policy, up standards at Evergrande and the thereby extending their trophy col­ Ultimately, the CFA hopes any This season, clubs have been per­ Evergrande striker Ai Kesen has it seems that Evergrande can only national team, splashing out on for­ lections and growing their coffers. rule changes are fair and to the ben­ mitted four foreigners in match­day reportedly been assisting the club in keep Ai Kesen and Ricardo Goulart,” eigners not as feasible for clubs with Striking the right balance efit of the Chinese game, particular­ squads, with three allowed on the efforts to persuade more players to soccer reporter Zhao Yu wrote on lesser financial resources. between upping playing standards ly youth development.

By LIANG KAIYAN [email protected]

Nearly 2,000 works of 55 pho­ Constantly holding tographers from all over the world such high­level are being shown at a photographic festival in Jimei district of Xiamen, cultural activities is of East China’s Fujian province. great significance in Bringing opportunities for partici­ pants to have more exchanges in the promoting Jimei’s photographic field, the Jimei and cultural development, Arles International Photo Festival opened last week and will run until energizing the city’s Jan 5, 2020. creativity and better The international event will hold 30 exhibitions showcasing works satisfying people’s from countries and regions includ­ spiritual life.” ing France, Greece, Italy and India. He Dongning, head of Jimei From left: An instructor introduces the photographs to visitors from China and abroad. Artists and winners at the awarding ceremony for Among them, eight exhibitions district will show works from French photo women photographers during the event. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY festival Rencontres d’Arles, organiz­ ers said. Luo said she had studied female One of the exhibitions casts an eye growth with her camera for the past on local Chinese lifestyles, with Photography festival puts 10 years. Her previous works fol­ French photographer Guy le Quer­ lowed the changes in society and rec displaying his photos of life in generations of young people, accord­ Chinese cities including Beijing, ing to Luo. Shanghai and Nanjing, Jiangsu Jimei district in global focus Mei Ting, a Chinese actress, province back in the 1980s. The exhi­ attended the award ceremony, and bition is curated by Shang Lu. said works of female photographers Le Querrec said in his eyes, resi­ feature gentle and touch, yet which is dents always look like dancers in his “very powerful”. photos. Young photographers should keep He also visited Hui’an county in their passion for their career and Quanzhou city, Fujian province, maintain an original and creative where he took photos of the locals in mindset during creation, Mei said. the 1980s. Rencontres d’Arles is an annual The photos are not just a great French photography festival founded memory, but also provide a great in 1970, which has a global reputa­ contrast to modern China. tion as a springboard for photo­ He Dongning, head of Jimei dis­ graphic and contemporary creative trict, said the district is ramping talents. up efforts to promote its high­ Since 2015, Jimei district photog­ quality development and is striv­ raphy festival has been held in con­ ing to build itself into the most junction with the Renctres d’Arles beautiful district in the island city festival in France, which has attract­ of Xiamen. ed more than 230,000 people to “The cultural creativity and attend. tourism industry is one of the six Rong Rong, co­promoter of the fes­ major industrial clusters that we tival, said photography has flour­ have focused on,” He said. ished in Jimei district. “Constantly holding such high­ “This event stimulates the cultural level cultural activities is of great ecosystem of Jimei, and helps us to significance in promoting Jimei’s connect the world with open eyes,” cultural development, energizing Rong said. the city’s creativity and better satis­ Photography can connect cultures fying people’s spiritual life,” the offi­ The Jimei and Arles International Photo Festival in Xiamen, Fujian province, showcases 30 exhibitions demonstrating works from coun­ around the world and help to build cial said. tries and regions including France, Greece, Italy and India. an active dialogue with neighbors During the event, organizers have such as Japan, Indonesia and South held competitions and handed out Korea, he said. prizes for talented photographers work called Chi Ren Shuo Meng, or inspired by dreams. Since 2010, Yi To participate in the competition, highly of Yi’s work. It is a work that “We hope this event will continue and photographic visionaries, aim­ Pie in the Sky, won a prize for its said he has recorded his thoughts Yi said he had spent more than half a obviously has taken a long time to to take root here to bring surprises ing to encourage more creativity in photographic vision. and dreams on video, and the imag­ year arranging the images he took. accomplish, Gu said. for everyone and to inject more cul­ the photographic field. The work was created by Chinese es have close connections between Film director Gu Changwei, a Luo Yang, won the female photog­ tural elements into the marvelous Among them an artistic body of photographer Yi Lian and it was himself and his hometown. judge of the competition, thought rapher prize for her work Youth. city,” he said.

The section is sponsored by Jimei district in Xiamen.