Prudent present offers brighter future, reckons Shao

Former China international Shao Jiayi has backed Chinese soccer's financial reforms and reckons clubs can survive the recent drain of corporate investment from the game.

"The Chinese Super League's salary cap is beneficial to the league, the clubs and the players. The players are facing the reduction of their salaries, but they will have more stable careers at clubs with better financial prospects," the 40-year-old former 1860 Munich and Duisburg midfielder told Xinhua.

"The clubs can reduce their spending, resulting in less financial burden and a more sustainable development model. The league can also avoid the unhealthy competition of spending big to buy expensive players. Of course, the quality players will command the highest salaries when the Chinese soccer market grows in the future with more revenue."

Widely considered as signaling an end to the CSL's big-spending era, the Chinese Football Association in December introduced a stricter salary cap as part of a raft of new financial rules.

The reforms, however, have come too late for 2020 CSL champion Jiangsu FC, which will not participate in the forthcoming campaign after ceasing operations last month. Tianjin Jinmen Tiger is also expected to be among a number of teams across the top three divisions to miss out on the new season due to financial problems.

However, Shao, who is now a CFA official in charge of training for the men's national team, believes a brighter future awaits the domestic game.

"The overall environment of soccer development in China is still very positive. The local governments, soccer associations and clubs are focusing their energy on youth training, and we are seeing the emergence of a group of promising young talents," he added.

"Some investors made the hard choice to quit Chinese soccer due to their own difficulties. No investors want to face continuous losses in the soccer market. If they cannot meet their profit targets and face an unbalanced long-term financial outlook, then it's understandable they will have to make these decisions."

Meanwhile, the former Bundesliga hotshot hopes to see more young Chinese pros follow in his footsteps by testing themselves in foreign leagues.

At the moment, Espanyol striker Wu Lei is the only Chinese international plying his trade in Europe, albeit mostly consigned to the bench these days as he struggles for minutes in Spain's second tier.

But while many fans would like to see Wu return to China, Shao believes the former Shanghai Port striker is capable of rediscovering the fine form he enjoyed in his debut season with Espanyol in 2019, when the club was in the top flight.

"Wu Lei's current situation reminds me of my career in Germany. It was full of ups and downs. If you want to shine on a higher platform, there will inevitably be difficulties," said Shao. "But just because a player has challenges in a new environment doesn't mean he is not capable of performing on the pitch.

"Wu's ability, characteristics and personality are all a good fit for European leagues. If Chinese soccer wants improvement, it needs players to shine on the international stage and have the experience of competing in foreign leagues. More Chinese players need to play outside the domestic league. There are no shortcuts to improvement."