The joke behind the Super League's New Deal
Football, a sport that enthusiasts fanatize, is also the stage for business operations. However, when fanaticism collides with commerce, incredible sparks often occur. In the upcoming new Chinese Super League season, a joke has been quietly born. The so-called "new policy" formulated by Song Kai and the Football Association led by him was disliked by 15 Chinese Super League teams, and they even preferred not to have money. What's going on here?
In the tense moment of preparation for the new season, the Football Association restored their naming rights in order to save the survival of the Chinese Super League clubs. This decision seems to be a response to the "neutral name" policy of the Chinese Super League implemented by his predecessor Chen Xuyuan. The original intention was good, that is, I hoped that the club could get more commercial sponsorship through the naming rights and relieve the pressure on the operation.
However, the reality has made the Football Association's "New Deal" a laughing stock. According to a report by Football News, among the 15 Chinese Super League teams, except for Henan Club, which successfully found a title sponsor, all the others have hit a wall. This includes traditional giants such as Shenhua, Taishan and Guoan. Is it because they can't get sponsors, or are they scoffing at the Football Association's policies?
In fact, the Football Association's "new policy" did not fundamentally solve the problem, but instead caused more disputes. The reinstatement of naming rights, with the addition of the sponsor's name to the original gender-neutral name, led to a conflict of interest between the club's investors and the naming party. Investors bear more costs but do not enjoy the rights of the naming system, while the naming party is able to change the name of the club to their own with only a small amount of money. This imbalance of interests is difficult for the club to accept. In addition, there has been a conflict of interest between the title sponsor and the shirt sponsor, and clubs are under tremendous pressure when it comes to selection.
The Football Association's "New Deal" is actually a chicken rib policy, which does not solve substantive problems, but instead intensifies contradictions. Perhaps, the Football Association should take more into account the actual situation of the club when formulating policies, and fully communicate and negotiate with the club, rather than insisting on going its own way. If the club had been invited to discuss the policy together, perhaps it would not have been in the embarrassing situation it is in today.
In the commercial world of football, the balance between fanaticism and business is a difficult issue. Only through the cooperation and consensus of all parties can the sustainable development of the football industry be truly realized. This Chinese Super League joke may be a warning and reflection for football administrators.