Contract breach casts shadow over Evergrande's AFC title

Zhang Qing, founder of sports consultancy agency Key-Solution, said the debate will help grow the awareness of market-oriented professional soccer management.

"One of the core values of professional sports is the spirit of the contract but the Evergrande case has just presented a bad example," said Zhang.

"Regardless of the legal procedure or the financial reimbursement that Evergrande has to pay, the dispute will draw attention to how to deal with sports endorsement in China and how to avoid such a thing happening again in China's emerging sports market, which will push sports professionalization forward in China," he added.

Evergrande's status as the only successful Chinese club on the continental stage fueled its boldness to promote its own product regardless of a potential contract breach as no other club could match its athletic prowess and appeal to sponsors, Zhang added.

Dying for success in the popular team sport, the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a national soccer reform plan earlier this year, setting a goal for China to qualify for the World Cup by professionalizing the game's bureaucratic management and promoting youth participation.

Evergrande's second Asian title since it won the first in 2013 had just cheered Chinese fans, who had been disappointed by the national team's near-failed qualifying campaign for the 2018 Russia World Cup.

However, the dispute has put Chinese soccer back in hot water.

Mark Dreyer, a British observer of Chinese sports, said it's premature to make any judgment how the case will influence the professionalization of Chinese soccer before the governing body takes any action, but it has damaged Evergrande's reputation in the market.

"Without knowing the precise terms and conditions of the contract, it's hard to speculate, but it certainly seems as if Evergrande is behaving badly. But even if they are found to be in the wrong, I don't think this will inevitably lead to lawlessness within the Chinese soccer sponsorship market. But it will scare off potential investors for the club," he said.