The Football Association has recognized that the "national standard" has become history and returned to the essence of the professional league
On January 3, Beijing time, the Chinese Football Association officially issued the management regulations for professional leagues at all levels in the new season, and the previously rumored policies such as increasing the number of foreign aid quotas, abolishing the neutral name of clubs, and opening up restrictions on club relocation have been implemented one by one, which can be called the largest reform in the history of the Chinese Super League and even professional leagues at all levels. Through this move, it is not difficult to find that in the face of the current depressed Chinese football environment, the Football Association has finally let go of the "reserve" of the past and once again tried to return to the essence of the professional league.
The most striking change in the regulations is the change of the quota of foreign players in the Chinese Super League to "Note 6 on 5", allowing teams to use five foreign players in a single game. This is the first time in the past ten years that the Chinese Super League has increased the number of foreign aid places in a real sense. Although compared with last season's "Note 5 on 4", only one foreign aid quota has been opened, but for the Chinese Super League, it is already quite a difficult change.
In the past few years, the Chinese Football Association has always regarded foreign aid as a flood beast, trying to reduce the number of foreign aid and reduce the level of foreign aid, the purpose is to do everything possible to "make way" for the national team, but the result is that the Chinese Super League teams in continental competitions and the AFC rules are more and more derailed, the ability of local players does not rise but falls, and the excitement of the league is greatly reduced. Under such circumstances, the opening of foreign aid quotas has become the aspiration of adults, and it also means that the idea of "national standard" can finally become history.
On the other hand, allowing teams to be named is tantamount to the de facto abolition of the "neutral name" policy that has only been implemented in Chinese football for three years. The purpose of the Football Association is obvious, which is to try to stimulate investors' willingness to invest and strive for more economic value for the team by restoring the corporate naming. Of course, it remains to be seen whether investors will open their pockets because of a title in today's generally poor financial situation of various clubs, but for many small and medium-sized clubs, selling the team's naming rights is the only means that can be effectively realized, which is a great news for them.
As for the relaxation of restrictions on club relocation, it means that the notorious "inter-provincial transfer" and "Ranger team" in Chinese football in the past will reappear. It is expected that there will definitely be a lot of controversy around this policy in the future, but for the Football Association, the main consideration now is to let more clubs "live", open up and relocate, and also give those teams who can't get along in the local area a new way to live.
Judging from the three "new policies" of the Football Association, after the past 6 or 7 years of "misconduct", the Football Association has finally recognized the practical problem and admitted to the primary issue of "survival". This is also the weakest taste of "national standard" and the strongest "professional" flavor in the "new deal" of professional leagues in recent years, and I hope it can stimulate the prosperity of the football market.