The Chinese Super League, which is generally underpaid, ushered in a restart, and naturalized players lost the national football team or reappeared in the "all-China class"

Reporter | Wei Qingchao

"As long as the Chinese national team recruits me, I will definitely come back." Axon, who left for Brazil, said in an interview at the airport.

On the evening of December 12, 2021, Beijing time, Axon and his family left Guangzhou. After a frustrated first half of the round of 12, the problem of unpaid wages at the club level further weakened the will of naturalized players.

Chinese Super League teams are facing operational difficulties, and wage arrears are a common phenomenon. Among them, due to the brilliant past record and the large number of naturalized players in the team, the Guangzhou team is currently receiving special attention.

Gaulat terminated his contract with Guangzhou early, returned to Brazil to achieve re-employment, and became the first "escapee" among the naturalized players of the national football team; after Fernando became a naturalized international, he never played in any official game for the team, and his disapproval of the long-term training system of the national football team led to his stay in Brazil and unwilling to accept the call-up.

After the end of the first six games of the round of 12, the performance of naturalized players can only be regarded as poor, and they have not been fully trusted, which makes Alain, Luo Guofu and others depressed. Long-term closed training, the club's salary arrears, so that the players are physically and mentally exhausted, Alain, Axon has returned to Brazil, while Luo Guofu and Jiang Guangtai are still negotiating with the Guangzhou team.

The second stage of the Chinese Super League has started on December 12, Luo Guofu and Jiang Guangtai have not entered the competition area with the team, and their contract problems cannot be solved in a short period of time. But unlike other naturalized players, the duo still hope to play in the Chinese Super League and continue to play for the national football team in the round of 12, and even the 2023 Asian Cup.

Luo Guofu said in an interview that if he could not play for Guangzhou, he could also go to other Chinese Super League teams. As the oldest of the naturalized players, Luo Guofu does not have many options except to stay in the Chinese Super League.

However, from a realistic point of view, the young Jiang Guangtai can still find a home in China, and Luo Guofu has almost no hope. In the first half of the round of 12, Luo Guofu worked hardest on the field and had the strongest willingness to enter the World Cup, and he did not go away in the face of the club's salary arrears, but now his situation is the most embarrassing.

Luo Guofu in the national football competition

After the restart of the Chinese Super League, there were 4 relegation matches on the first day, of which 3 were divided into winners and losers. Shanghai Shenhua beat Qingdao 3-0, leading the last two to reach 15 points, almost no risk of relegation; Wuhan, which has just welcomed new coach Li Jinyu, defeated the Cangzhou Lions 4-2 and temporarily got rid of the relegation zone.

In addition, Dalian people won 1-0 against Henan, and Tianjin Jinmen Tigers drew with Chongqing Liangjiang Athletics. At present, Qingdao team, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, Cangzhou Lions have the highest probability of relegation, and although Dalian people are also deeply involved in the relegation zone, they are one of the few teams in the Chinese Super League that do not owe wages, and the morale of the team is high.

The other two teams that do not owe wages, Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Haigang, are in the championship group, and these two teams are the most powerful contenders for the Chinese Super League title this season. In addition, all teams have more or less unpaid wages, but judging from the mentality of the participating players, the crowd is still enthusiastic about the competition.

In the crisis-ridden Guangzhou team, the players are still very united. Wei Shihao said: "Enter the competition area, go to the battlefield, the work I love, the football I love is back!" He Chao also said: "Whether life is good or bad, we must have an attitude. ”

At 20:00 Beijing time on December 13, 2021, Guangzhou will play against Beijing Guoan, when they will use the "All China Class" lineup again. Executive head coach Zheng Zhi mentioned: "No matter what, we have the responsibility to finish the league and carry Chinese football on our shoulders. ”

Naturalization policies that cost huge sums of money seem to have to turn into a farce. Naturalized players have left one after another, and whether Axon's statement proves the determination to play for the national football team or the "high emotional intelligence" to deal with public opinion is difficult to determine at present; and other naturalized players who have not made any declarations have basically no possibility of continuing to fight for the national football team.

After Li Xiaopeng took over as the coach of the national football team, he directly faced the situation of many people leaving. On January 27, 2022, the national football team's match with Japan, that is, Li Xiaopeng's coaching debut, is likely to have no naturalized players.