CFL suspension looms
(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2004-10-26 10:49

To play or not to play, that is the question for Chinese soccer officials, clubs, players and fans.

Over the weekend, both Shanghai clubs lost in the 17th round of the Chinese Super League, which debuted this year and might be suspended this week as seven top clubs demand a major overhaul.

The clubs have proposed that the Chinese Football Association suspend the CSL ahead of the next round of matches to deal with a host of problems battering the league, such as game fixing, bad refereeing, poor finances, decreasing fan numbers, violence, and gambling.

The clubs made the announcement after holding a club investors' meeting in Beijing on Friday without the participation of CFA representatives.

Though the CFA had postponed the "official" meeting until Tuesday, Dalian Shide, Shanghai International, Shenzhen Jianlibao, Sichuan Guancheng, Beijing Hyundai, Qingdao Bright and Liaoning Zhongyu snubbed the association and kept to their own schedule.

Amid all the off-field chaos, the weekend matches provided morbid news for local fans.

Shanghai Shenhua SVA lost 0-1 at home to Qingdao Bright on Saturday while crosstown rival International fell 1-2 to Liaoning Zhongyu Sunday.

Late in the second half, International's Wu Chengying scored while his team was trailing 1-2, but referee Feng Wenqiang ruled it offside.

The decision led to another free for all involving International following the derby chaos a week earlier. After failing to persuade the referee, International players were about to walk off the pitch when Feng blew the whistle.

But there was a walk-out on Sunday.

Dalian Shide, winner of seven league titles in the last 10 seasons, walked off the pitch in its home game against Shenyang Ginde. With Dalian leading 2-1 in the second half, Shenyang forward Chen Tao scored the equalizer through an apparent hand ball.

Referee Yang Zhiqiang verified the goal which led to an outcry from Shide.

The Shide players refused to restart the match for a record 35 minutes before Yang blew the whistle.

According to CFA rules, the referee has the right to terminate the game after a five-minute stop.

Ginde was also involved in an earlier walkout this month, when Beijing Hyundai left the pitch after a dispute during their match. Hyundai later said it would pull out of the league.

Beijing found support from Dalian in its struggles with the CFA and later more clubs - mainly run by private companies - joined hands in the battle for an overhaul.

"We didn't pull out of the game," said Lin Lefeng, Dalian Shide general manager. "We just need a fair and just environment."

His boss Xu Ming, Shide Group chairman, is pursuing the case in Beijing. Xu, along with six other investors, announced they will delay the league matches this weekend no matter what the CFA does or says.

The clubs are demanding that a new company - Chinese Professional Soccer Club Alliance Co Ltd - run the league instead of the CFA or the CSL Committee. In short, they want to copy the European league system.

The clubs also want the CFA to publicize its accounts over the past ten years and abolish promotion or relegation this season.

But the battle, many in the domestic media have dubbed as the "soccer revolution," has its share of critics.

"Chinese soccer badly needs a revolution," Li Chengpeng, reporter of Soccer newspaper was quoted as saying on STV yesterday. "Dalian's Xu Ming told Yan Shiduo (CFA vice chairman) that he does not want to topple the CFA but he is hoping that the CFA will save his life as he is deeply involved in the cash-losing soccer business."

Though there are no official statistics, it's easy to draw a consensus that none of the 12 CSL clubs is making money.

Nonetheless on the field one cash-strapped team is doing wonders.

Shenzhen Jianlibao rallied to hold Chongqing Lifan 1-1 away yesterday.

Shenzhen, whose players haven't been paid for up to six months, continued to lead the league with 34 points, ahead of Dalian (28) and Shandong (26).

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