Chinese football is notorious for uncertainty, and that seems to be the case for two of the Chinese Super League’s strongest teams.
Financial difficulties, fickle ownership, or underhanded dealings have all led to clubs dissolving or suffering through difficulties in the not so distant past in Chinese football, and they continue to creep up even today.
Tianjin Quanjian, Shenzhen FC and Jiangsu Suning are just a selection of clubs who ceased operations for various reasons in recent years, while Shanghai Shenhua were stripped of their 2003 Jia-A League title for match fixing.
Changchun Yatai even lost their license to play after a similar situation in the early 2000s, before reforming and rejoining the same year.
There always seems to be the threat of trouble for many clubs around the Middle Kingdom, but these two latest examples may be somewhat surprising.
Chengdu Rongcheng
Chengdu Rongcheng have been one of the strongest teams in the top tier since earning promotion from China League One in 2021.
Some big-name players such as Tim Chow, Ai Kesen and Rômulo have all featured for a team who currently sit third in the Chinese Super League after finishing fourth last season.
While things have gone well on the pitch, off it appears to have been far less stable as it has been reported that the team is struggling financially, with wage arrears and the search for a new owner already ongoing.
Chengdu Better City Investment Group founded the club in 2018 and have had a decent amount of success, helping the club climb the Chinese football pyramid and become a strong presence in the top tier, but it appears as if the ownership group has finally reached its limit and new investment is needed to keep the club going.
It’s uncertain how bad the arrears are at present, and how much debt the club is currently in, but a change will need to be made as soon as possible to avoid a situation like those mentioned previously, where the club finds itself no longer operational as a result.
Chengdu has one of the best football-specific stadiums in the country and losing Rongcheng would be a significant lose beyond just having a club disappear like so many others previously.
More on this story will be forthcoming as new developments are announced or reported on.
Shandong Taishan
Another team facing a potentially uncertain future is Shandong Taishan, albeit for very different circumstances.
A recent list of players and people banned from Chinese football activities was announced, with a fairly significant focus on Shandong.
This includes former players Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu and Son Jun-ho all received lifetime bans, while a former Taishan official, Qiu Zhe, also received the same punishment.
The five-time Chinese champions themselves could also receive punishment for any perceived involvement in historical gambling and match fixing, as uncovered by the long-running investigation, which could seriously harm the club.
One such punishment that has been commented on is the possibility of forced relegation, sending the club back down to China League One to make an example of a club that has enjoyed plenty of success, including multiple Chinese FA Cups in recent years as well as the 2021 CSL title.
Having a club of Shandong’s stature relegated would be devastating for the club and potentially football in general, with Shandong performing well continentally as well as domestically.
It would be the biggest statement from the governing body to help stamp out these kinds of situations, with Chinese football having a pretty dark history in this regard.
It’s unclear how serious the threat of relegation truly is at this juncture, but the fact it has been mentioned as a possibility should have the club and fans worried.