AFC Launches New Competition Format, Chinese Super League to Face Challenges
Report from our newspaper (Reporter Li Li) Yesterday, the thirty fourth AFC Congress was held in Bangkok, Thailand. At the assembly, the AFC formally introduced the reformed males’s third-level membership competitors and the ladies’s AFC Champions League. Under the brand new competitors format, the Chinese Super League will nonetheless have 4 groups collaborating.
The membership competitions within the new season are: AFC Champions League Elite League, AFC Champions League Second Division and AFC Challenge League. Among them, final season’s Chinese Super League champion Shanghai Haigang group and Chinese Football Association Cup champion Shanghai Shenhua group received direct participation locations within the AFC Champions League Elite League. Shandong Taishan group, the runner-up within the Chinese Super League, obtained oblique participation locations within the AFC Champions League Elite League. Zhejiang group, the third place group within the Chinese Super League Obtain a direct quota for the AFC Champions League second degree.
So, in comparison with the earlier AFC Champions League, is the brand new AFC Club League extra helpful or harder for the Chinese Super League groups? Judging from the present competitors system, the Chinese Super League groups could face extra difficulties.
Let’s first take a look at the composition of the AFC Champions League Elite League. The collaborating groups within the East Asia area have been diminished from the unique 20 groups within the AFC Champions League to 12 groups. It is apparent that the energy of every group is increased and extra even. Secondly, the group stage will likely be canceled and changed by a 12-team round-robin format. Each group performed 8 video games, 2 extra video games than within the earlier group stage. Moreover, the sport will likely be winner versus winner, loser versus loser, and much will likely be drawn instantly after every spherical, which vastly will increase the uncertainty of the schedule. Thirdly, the 8 match days within the massive cycle stage not solely span a very long time span, but in addition the primary three match days from September to November coincide with the dash interval of the Chinese Super League championship, which may also make it tough for the Chinese Super League groups to steadiness the lineup.
As for the AFC Champions League second-level league by which the Zhejiang group participates, it nonetheless adopts the earlier double round-robin system of the group stage. The 16 groups in East Asia are divided into 4 teams. The 6 group stage matches are at some point later than the Champions League Elite League. The knockout rounds are all within the second yr, and the ultimate is on May 17.
In brief, the brand new AFC league system, new schedule and competitors system are not any small challenges for the Chinese Super League groups.