20 | Monday, January 6, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY SPORTS YEAR IN REVIEW — SOCCER KICKING OFF A NEW CHAPTER Clubs in agreement that new salary cap and foreign-player regulations spell brighter future for Chinese game By SHI FUTIAN terms of youth soccer in schools for [email protected] the past five years, but generally speaking, the number of students Chinese soccer chiefs hope the who actually play soccer is still very introduction of a foreign-player sal- limited,” said Wang Dengfeng, head ary cap and new regulations on of the ministry’s department of imported and naturalized stars will physical, health and arts education. foster better conditions for the next “Playing soccer is not just for generation of domestic talent to those who want to become profes- thrive. sional athletes — anyone can take it The Chinese Football Association up. And for kids it can be very bene- last week published details of the ficial for their health and overall new measures which were agreed development.” with clubs at a December meeting in The Ministry of Education also Beijing. revealed last month that, from 2015- According to the CFA, the salaries 18, China completed the construc- of foreign players will be capped at 3 tion and renovation of 32,432 soccer million euros ($3.3 million) after pitches in schools. tax, applying to contracts signed An additional 28,545 pitches are from Jan 1 this year. expected to be completed by the end The cap is expected to significant- of this year. As of September 2018, a ly curb the influx of expensive total of 120,960 pitches have been imports to the Chinese Super built in schools of all levels across League, which for many observers the country. has been detrimental both to the “Any country that is strong at soc- development of domestic talent and cer starts training early and has a the financial health of clubs. strict talent selection process,” said From now on, CSL clubs will be Li Chunman, deputy director of the permitted to register six foreign National Campus Soccer Expert players per season, but only five of Committee. those can be used in match-day “Based on the current situation of squads and just four can be on the our country, we should establish a pitch at any one time. comprehensive youth training sys- The restrictions will not apply to tem. We should focus more on high- naturalized players so long as one of quality campus soccer training in his biological parents or grandpar- the longer term.” ents was born in China. A natural- ized player who has been selected Guangzhou Evergrande fans had plenty to cheer last year as their side claimed a record-extending eighth Chinese Super League title. The CSL excitement for the national team may also be introduction of new regulations on foreign players is sure to add fresh intrigue to next season’s CSL battle. XINHUA The CSL served up plenty of exempt from the foreign quota — excitement last season, with fans although clubs can only apply this gripped by a dramatic three-way classification to one player. title race that went right down to the Guangzhou Evergrande and Team wire. China’s Brazil-born striker Ai Kesen Guangzhou Evergrande emerged (aka Elkeson) would meet this crite- victorious on the final day of the sea- rion, for example. son to depose Shanghai SIPG and The salary cap for domestic play- win a record-extending eighth CSL ers will remain at 10 million yuan crown ahead of runner-up Guo’an. ($1.43 million) before tax, or 12 mil- According to the league’s online lion yuan for China internationals. rights holder, PP Sports, all 240 of Clubs will not be permitted to last season’s CSL games were viewed spend more than 1.1 billion yuan on a total of 1.59 billion times on all their operations annually, with sala- platforms — a 12.1 percent increase ries not to exceed 60 percent of that on the previous campaign. amount. In 2021, that limit will drop Evergrande featured in all of the to 900 million yuan, with salaries top five most-watched games, with not exceeding 55 percent. its 3-1 August victory over Guo’an in It is hoped that by keeping domes- Beijing top of that list with over 32 tic players’ wages in check, more million views online. A bumper might be encouraged to test them- 57,000-plus crowd watched the selves in major foreign leagues. At New foreign­player quotas will apply to the likes of Henan Jianye’s Guangzhou Evergrande’s Talisca could be among a number of play­ action inside the capital’s Workers’ the moment, Wu Lei is the only Chi- Cameroonian forward Christian Bassogog this year. XINHUA ers affected by the CSL’s new foreign­player salary cap. XINHUA Stadium. nese player plying his trade in one of Dalian Yifang boasted the “most the world’s top leagues — with Espa- local” fan base last term, with 23 nyol in Spain’s La Liga. this has happened since I became “The purpose of making new poli- plan. Over the last five years, a total of percent of its official supporters’ manager of Guo’an six years ago.” cies is to ensure the healthy growth CSL teams will be required to reg- 27,059 primary and middle schools group hailing from the Liaoning Sustainable growth Support for the reforms also of our professional leagues and keep ister at least three under-21 players have provided at least one soccer province city, according to PP Club owners have widely backed appears to extend beyond the CSL’s them dynamic,” said Dong. in their 2020 season squads; in the class each week for over 20 million Sports. the measures. big guns. “Smaller soccer clubs can’t “We are working to give our clubs second and third tiers that quota is students, according to the ministry. Yifang’s late-season slump under “Having a salary cap can help function if they lose billions of yuan healthier finances and facilitate the set at two and five respectively. Thirty-eight pilot zones for school coach Rafa Benitez made it the teams develop more sustainably. each year. I think having a salary cap growth of young players. We hope to In the top tiers, teams will be soccer reform have been estab- most-talked-about CSL team online. Regulations are necessary in a pro- can benefit us in the long run,” said reach an agreement with our clubs required to have at least one under- lished, and 160 counties or districts Dalian received the highest number fessional environment,” Li Ming, Yang Nan, a representative of Hen- and achieve the goal together. This 23 player on the pitch during games, have been selected as pilot areas for of online comments — 280 million general manager of Beijing Guo’an, an Jianye. is not like ordering our clubs to do while it will be necessary for third- promoting soccer on campus. — below videos of their matches last told Xinhua last month. Dong Zheng, the leader of the something.” tier sides to field at least one under- Another 3,000 kindergartens will season. “The Chinese Football Associa- CFA’s policy-making team, says the 21 player. be selected as youth soccer hubs by Of all the city’s without a top- tion really values our opinions. They new measures are designed to put Youth focus Meanwhile, the Ministry of Edu- the end of next year as the authori- flight team, Hangzhou in Zhejiang spent all day with us discussing how an end to the precarious financial Ensuring more playing time for cation, says that efforts to invigorate ties seek to nurture more talent province has the highest number of to make this new policy viable. It situations that some clubs find young talent and developing youth soccer in schools are starting to pay from an early age. CSL fans, accounting for 3.4 percent was the first time something like themselves in. training are key elements of the off. “We’ve made some progress in of the league’s nationwide total. Li seeking ‘selflessness’ from China’s underachievers By SHI FUTIAN are willing to play for their nation only have one standard — as long as revealing his ambitions to Chinese [email protected] with selflessness. We want players he’s good enough.” media in 2011. who can devote themselves to the As for his own qualities, Li was Now the 42-year-old is deter- Li Tie is on a mission to restore national team. keen to emphasize what he has mined to show he can outlast his six- pride in the red jersey, with the new- “Some players produce brilliant learned from his Italian predeces- month contract. ly installed Team China coach performances for their clubs in the sor, not how he differs from him. “Being the national team coach is stressing slackers won’t be tolerated league, so they need to learn to cope “I really don’t want to talk about the highest honor for me, and it also in his squad. with the huge pressure in the the difference between domestic means a huge responsibility,” said A series of limp performances have national team. and foreign head coaches. For a soc- Li. “I was very excited when I knew left China’s chances of qualifying for “We’ll endeavor to help them to cer coach, the only thing that mat- that I had the chance of becoming the 2022 Qatar World Cup hanging adapt to that pressure during our ters is whether you can handle your Team China’s head coach.