Chinese Super League champions ceases operations in blow to nation’s football aspirations

Just three months after winning the Chinese Super League title for the first time, Jiangsu FC has announced it will “cease operations” with immediate effect, creating huge uncertainty within the competition and for the nation’s expanding football industry.

Based in the city of Nanjing, Jiangsu FC announced on social media that it hoped that a new backer could be found after its owner, retail giant Suning - which also holds a majority stake in Italian Serie A leaders Inter Milan - ended its backing for the club.

The Jiangsu FC statement advised “even though we are reluctant to part with the players who have won us the highest honours, and fans who have shared solidarity with the club, we have to regretfully make an announcement.”

The announcement stated all of owners Suning Group's football clubs, including the hugely successful Jiangsu Suning Women, would "cease operations from today".

Suning had reportedly tried to sell Jiangsu, which has debts estimated to be around $90 million, following Suning owner Zhang Jindong saying that the group would cut back on non-retail activities after a difficult year in which revenues had been hit by COVID-19.

Speaking last month, Zhang advised “we will focus on retail business and close and cut down our businesses that are not connected to businesses,” he said.

The unravelling of Jiangsu FC, known in previous seasons Jiangsu Suning, could be followed in the coming days by the closure of fellow CSL side Tianjin Teda.

Club owner Teda has cut investment in the team it has owned since 1998 after the Chinese Football Association ruled this year that all team names must be free from corporate titles.

Last year, the city’s other club, Tianjin Tianhai, went bankrupt.

In November last year, the club, as Jiangsu Suning, was crowned champions of the Chinese Super League for the first time in its history.

If Jiangsu FC fails to find new owners soon, their absence could cause further upheaval in the Asian Champions League ahead of the start of the continental competition in April.

The Jiangsu announcement comes days after Chinese FA Cup winners Shandong Luneng had their expulsion from the Asian Champions League confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) due to "overdue payables".

Chinese football has become one of the biggest-spending leagues in the world over the past decade. New stadia are currently being built across the country in advance of its hosting of the AFC Asian Cup in 2025 while China's President Xi Jinping has frequently expressed a desire to host the FIFA World Cup.

Image: Jiangsu FC, when named Jiangsu Suning during the 2020 Chinese Super League season.