Top foreign footballers flocking to the Chinese Super League could soon become a thing of the past after football authorities in the country announced measures to curb player salaries.
The Chinese football authorities recently introduced a new salary cap that could see former Premier League stars return from Asia.
A host of footballing talents such as Marouane Fellaini, Oscar and Marko Arnautovic were offered the chance to become very high earner in the Chinese Super League. However, a new law will be introduced that limits players to approximately £42k-a-week before tax. This is the first time a salary cap has been implemented for over a decade in the league.
Salaries are to be capped as clubs stave off financial ruin, with overseas recruits to the Chinese Super League in the upcoming winter transfer window limited to earning £2m after tax.
Additionally, a ceiling of 10m yuan (£1.1m) has been placed on Chinese players’ salaries.
Clubs will also not be permitted to spend more than 1.1 billion yuan (£121m) on their operations throughout the upcoming campaign, with salaries not to exceed 60 per cent of that amount.
“Our clubs had too much money burned and our professional football has not been run in a sustainable way,” Chinese Football Association chairman Chen Xuyuan said, according to state news agency Xinhua.
“If we don’t take timely action, I fear it will collapse.”
The new rules were confirmed after a Christmas Day meeting of the Chinese Football Association and do not extend to bonuses that can be paid, which could give clubs some flexibility to pursue star signings.
Clubs will also be permitted to sign a fifth player from overseas, up from the current quota of four, but will only be allowed to field four foreigners on the pitch at any one time.
Officials have routinely sought to curb excessive spending in the Chinese Super League after a major outlay on foreign stars ahead of the 2017 season saw the arrival of players such as Brazilian star Oscar and Carlos Tevez from Argentina on huge salaries.
Later that year, a 100 per cent levy was placed on transfers valued at over 45m yuan (£4.95m) involving foreign players, while the same condition was imposed on domestic moves worth more than 20m yuan (£2.2m).
Money has poured into Chinese football from the country’s private sector since Xi Jinping – a football fan who has declared his desire to improve the nation’s standing within the game – became president in 2013.
Wales international Gareth Bale was the latest global superstar to be linked with a move to China following his falling out with Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.
That transfer to Jiangsu Suning fell through before the closure of the transfer window last summer.
However, the influx of foreign talent, expected to lift standards at a club level, has done little to reverse the national team’s dismal fortunes, with China failing to qualify for the finals of the World Cup since their debut appearance in 2002.
The national team is currently struggling to qualify for the next tournament in Qatar in 2022, with Italian Marcello Lippi quitting as head coach in November and a replacement yet to be appointed.
Anthony Nlebem
