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Neutral team names should not be "one size fits all"
Text/Dana (Occupation: Media Person, currently living in Changsha)
At the meeting of the general managers of Chinese Super League clubs on November 24 and 25, the Chinese Football Association announced many important measures, in addition to the salary restriction order, the most talked about topic by fans is the issue of "neutralization of club (team name) name". The Chinese Football Association requires professional league clubs at all levels to achieve neutral team names before registration in the 2021 season.
The so-called neutralization of the team name requires that the club name no longer have the noun of the investor or sponsor or the name of the related commercial product. Looking around the world, the familiar real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and other team names are neutral team names.
Infographic: The round of 16 of the Chinese Super League in 2020 season. Except for "Dalian Ren", the names of other teams include the name of the enterprise. Photo/ Official website of the Chinese Super League
Looking around the world, there is no shortage of precedents for changing from corporate team names to neutral team names. In 1993, at the beginning of the establishment of the J-League in Japan, it was mandatory for each participating team not to use a corporate name, but to take a neutral team name.
For a time, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries soccer team became Urawa Red Diamonds, the Nissan auto soccer team became the Yokohama Mariners, and the Panasonic electric soccer team became Gamba Osaka... After more than 20 years of development, the overall development of the japanese J-League after the change of the door has been healthy, and the football culture brought by the neutral team name has also begun to penetrate the hearts of the people, cultivating the cultural symbols of Japanese football itself.
Infographic: Distribution of J-League teams in Japan in 2019. Currently, J-League teams are neutral. Photo/PP Sports
It should be said that for the long-term development of football culture, the neutralization of team names is indeed a work worth promoting in China's football reform. Since the professionalization of Chinese football, many teams have changed their names, colors, emblems and even home stadiums due to the change of sponsors, except for relatively stable teams such as Shanghai Shenhua, Beijing Guoan, Henan Jianye, etc., almost all other teams have changed their names many times.
Taking today's Shenzhen Kaisa as an example, in the history of Shenzhen's development, it has successively experienced many team names such as Ping An, Jianlibao, Jinwei, Shangqing Drink, Red Diamond, Kaisa, etc., although they all refer to the same Shenzhen team, but the team name changes too frequently, so that Shenzhen fans have to change a slogan of cheering and cheering every year.
Data chart: Guangzhou Evergrande, as the most successful team in Chinese football at present, has also changed its appearance many times in history. Photo/PP Sports
However, from the current plan circulating on the Internet, the Chinese Football Association intends to require the club to complete the neutralization of the team name in a "one-size-fits-all" manner. At present, only "Dalian ren" in the top 16 of the Chinese Super League meets the requirements, and the remaining 15 clubs need to be renamed. (Hunan Xiangtao, which Hunan fans care about, is itself a neutral team name that means "Waves of the Xiangjiang River" and does not need to be modified.) ）
The Chinese Football Association's move has attracted the dissatisfaction of some Chinese fans, especially the old clubs such as Guoan, Shenhua, Luneng and Jianye, whose names have not changed for many years, as well as fans of emerging teams such as Evergrande, SIPG and Suning. In major fan communities, fans are generally not satisfied with the Chinese Football Association's "one-size-fits-all" change to neutral team names.
Infographic: Founded in 2000, the Blue Devils Fan Club has been shouting "Shenhua Team" for 20 years to cheer on the team. It is reported that once the "Shenhua" team name ceases to exist, the Blue Devils fan association will also disband itself. Courtesy photo/Blue Devils Fan Club
"The name of Beijing Guoan, although it comes from CITIC Guoan Group, but the fans have been shouting Beijing Guoan for more than 20 years, these four words are the symbols of Beijing football, Guoan is our football culture, how can we say that we will change it?"
"Guangzhou Evergrande has won the Asian championship twice, and now many fans in Asia and even the world know that Chinese football has a Guangzhou Evergrande, and it is hard to have a decent business card, and the Chinese Football Association does not care?"
"After Shanghai Shenhua completed the share change in 2000, the original investor Shenhua Group had no relationship with the club. Shenhua has become a neutral team name since then, and since then, whether it is SVA, Liansheng or Greenland, the name of Shenhua is unshakable. If the Chinese Football Association wants to take away my Shanghai Shenhua, then I will not watch the ball! ”
Data chart: Guangzhou Evergrande, Beijing Guoan, Shanghai Shenhua, are currently the three most internationally renowned professional clubs in Chinese football. Photo/ Official website of the Chinese Super League
The author believes that there is no problem with the Chinese Football Association's measures to promote the neutralization of team names, but how to implement it is still worth discussing. Guoan, Shenhua, is a loud business card that can represent the city and the place, and many fans can even be said to care about and support this team from small to large, from young teenagers to social forces, and even began to influence the next generation, forming their own family football heritage.
If the Chinese Football Association wants to "one size fits all" and promotes the goal of football reform, it will hurt the hearts of many fans who regard football culture such as team names as an important part. For the long-term development of Chinese football and the Chinese league, the neutralization of the team name is worth promoting, but it should also be analyzed specifically, and it is more appropriate to adopt a method that can be accepted by the majority of fans.
Infographic: In the 20-year history of the Blue Devils Fan Club, fans have repeatedly defended football culture with the slogan of "return my Shenhua". Courtesy photo/Blue Devils Fan Club
Here, the author makes the following suggestions:
First, if it has existed since the beginning of the professional league in 1994 and has not been replaced for many years, its name can be regarded as a neutral team name and retained; second, if it is a corporate name that has been established for less than 10 years, it can be modified to a neutral team name; third, once the neutral team name is determined, it cannot be changed at will, even if the shares are replaced and the investor is replaced, the team should always be this name.
Personally, I welcome the neutralization of the team name and believe that this move will bring benefits to the long-term development of Chinese football. However, the Chinese Football Association cannot ignore the voice of Chinese fans and the value and power of football culture. It is hoped that the Chinese Football Association will come up with the best plan and firmly implement the reform of Chinese football.