On November 22, the AFC announced the list of clubs that have obtained the next year’s AFC Champions League license. It is worth noting that there has been a historical situation in which none of the Chinese Super League clubs has obtained a license to participate. At present, only 6 clubs have yet to be further reviewed. This means that although the number of seats in the Chinese Super League in the AFC Champions League next year is still “3+1”, the actual number of teams participating in the final competition may not reach four.
Since the establishment of the AFC in 2002, the AFC has introduced an access system in order to promote the professional development of football in Asian countries and regions and improve the level of professional management. It stipulates that only clubs can obtain a license issued by the AFC. , To qualify for the AFC Champions League. Similar to the relatively high degree of professionalism in South Korea, Japan, and the Chinese Super League, the respective football associations conduct their own review, and then report to the AFC for filing, and formally issue a license system, and it is announced every year.
Because it is the Chinese Football Association’s self-audit, so in the past few years, the Chinese Football Association’s management in this area has been relatively loose. As long as the domestic Chinese Super League and even the Chinese Football Association clubs report to the Chinese Football Association, the Chinese Football Association will basically reply and approve normally. And because the AFC has enough trust in its subordinate member associations, as long as the member associations report, they can basically pass the customs smoothly. Therefore, in the last two or three seasons, the number of Chinese professional clubs that have been officially announced by the AFC has been relatively large. For example, take the clubs that were announced at the end of 2019 and obtained the permits to participate in the 2020 AFC Champions League as an example. The Chinese Football Association has a total of 27 Chinese Super League and Chinese Premier League clubs reporting materials. As a result, all 27 clubs have obtained participating permits.[Figure 1 below]
But in fact, among the 27 clubs that have obtained licenses, many clubs do not meet the access standards, such as wage arrears. Therefore, two clubs like Shanghai Shenxin and Liaoning Hongyun also appeared on the list of the 2020 AFC Champions League announced by the AFC at the end of 2019, but as of late May 2020, the Chinese Football Association announced the cancellation. Registration qualifications for Shanghai Shenxin Club and Liaoning Hongyun Club. This can be seen from one aspect of the Chinese Football Association’s grasp of standards in terms of access standards.
In contrast, the Japanese Football Association is stricter in implementing the relevant regulations of the AFC. Also at the end of 2019, among the clubs that have obtained the permit for the 2020 AFC Champions League, a total of 48 clubs have reported, but only 25 clubs have obtained permits, the number is not even as good as the Chinese Football Association, and the other 23 clubs It is in “Clubs Licensed with Sanction”.[See Figure 2 below]
As of November 2020, there are a total of 19 clubs in the list of the 2021 AFC Champions League reported by the Chinese Football Association.[See Figure 3 below]However, due to well-known reasons, the Shandong Taishan (formerly Shandong Luneng) club, which won the FA Cup last year, was disqualified from this year’s AFC Champions League by the AFC because of foreign teachers’ salary issues.[See Figure 4 below]
(Picture 3)
2. Six clubs still need rectification
(Picture 4)
Shandong Taishan Club has been cancelled for the 2021 AFC Champions League and missed the opportunity to compete in the AFC. On the surface it is the management of Shandong Taishan Club itself, but what actually reveals is that the Chinese Football Association is handling the “AFC Participation License” issue. The “non-rigorous attitude” on the Internet does not strictly control the implementation of relevant regulations. It is precisely because of the lessons learned that when the “2022 AFC Champions League Participation Permit” list was reported in October this year, the Chinese Football Association strictly checked, and none of the clubs that did not meet the standards or did not meet the standards were not reported. As a result, in the list of clubs that have obtained the permits for next year’s AFC Champions League announced by the AFC on November 22, a very big change is that there are only 14 clubs reported by China. This is the application submitted by the Chinese Football Association over the years. The one with the least number of clubs participating in the license.
More than that, so far, none of the 14 clubs has obtained a license to participate. In other words, in theory, there is the possibility that no Chinese Super League club can participate in the AFC Champions League next season! According to the reporter’s understanding, the reason why none of these 14 clubs can obtain the “2022 AFC Champions League Participation License” is mostly due to the existence of wage arrears, but to varying degrees. This is consistent with the recent rumors that “most of the 16 Chinese Super League clubs have wage arrears”. Of course, individual clubs are due to other circumstances.[See Figure 5 below]
In this list, the six Chinese Super League clubs, namely Shandong Taishan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Changchun Yatai, Shanghai Haigang and Shanghai Shenhua, are in the “Clubs Licensed with Sanction” situation. The so-called “Clubs Licensed with Sanction” refers to the latest version of the AFC Club Licensing Regulations 2021 (AFC Club Licensing Regulations 2021) drafted by the AFC. The club basically meets or meets the mandatory requirements, but Because the obligatory individual clauses or regulations have not yet fully met the requirements, but do not affect the overall situation, they only need to supplement relevant materials or make minor rectifications to be passed. Therefore, the “AFC Entry Control Body” under the AFC can still allow these clubs to participate in the AFC Champions League.
This means that the Chinese Super League clubs participating in the AFC Champions League next year will only be produced from the above six clubs.
3. There may be no “3+1” in the AFC next year
According to previous relevant regulations, the AFC Champions League is a two-year cycle, and the AFC has finalized the allocation of seats for the next cycle two years in advance. For example, the period from 2021 to 2022 is a cycle. The allocation of seats in the AFC League in this cycle has been passed by the AFC Subordinate Competition Committee as early as the end of 2019. Ranked first on the table”, so the Chinese Super League’s seats in the AFC Champions League in 2021 and 2022 are “3+1”. According to the rules, this year’s top three in the Super League and the FA Cup champions will represent China in the 2022 AFC Champions League. The third place in the league will participate in the play-offs, and the other three teams will directly enter the group stage.
Judging from the status of the Chinese Super League club’s declaration of the “AFC Participation License”, whether there will be a “3+1” team in the Chinese Super League to play in the AFC Champions League next year will largely depend on the next Chinese Super League second place. Stage of the battle. Since this year’s Football Association Cup final will be held between Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Haigang, if these two teams also enter the top four in this year’s Super League, then the Guangzhou team is now ranked second and fourth on the total points table. The Changchun Yatai team will play next year’s AFC Champions League with Shandong and Haigang. Because the clubs of these four teams are on the list of 6 players. Of course, there are many variables in the Guangzhou team.
If the Guangzhou team eventually ranks among the top four and the club changes, there are likely to be only three teams in the AFC Champions League next year. Because the AFC has strict regulations on the “sports standards” of clubs participating in the AFC Champions League, only teams that have made the top four in the domestic league are eligible to participate. Teams other than the top four are not eligible.
If the Shenzhen team, which is temporarily ranked fifth in the total points of the first stage, can surpass the Guangzhou team and the Guangzhou team cannot make it into the top four in the end, then the Shenzhen team will surpass the Asian team next year because of the 6 players that can participate in the list. Champions League seats can still be “3+1”. If the Beijing Guoan team surpasses the Guangzhou team and enters the top four, it will not be eligible to participate in the AFC Champions League next year because the Guoan Club has not declared a license to participate in the AFC Champions League next year. It is understood that the National Security Club did not apply for next year’s AFC Champions League license, which has a lot to do with the twists and turns encountered by sending the youth army to participate this year. After all, these players did not return to the country until November 22.
Of course, this is the most ideal state. Because next year’s AFC Champions League will still adopt the game system, and the East Asia region’s group stage is scheduled to be held in mid-to-late April next year. At that time, will the Super League team send teams to participate? Will the domestic epidemic prevention policy be loosened? In particular, do you still need to implement at least the “14+7” quarantine regulations when returning home after the game, and so on. And when will the Chinese Super League next year be in full swing? All of these need to be further observed. Therefore, it is still difficult to make a conclusion about the China Super League and the AFC Champions League, and the topic of seats may not be a key issue.Return to Sohu to see more
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