Players go on strike due to back pay
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A new scandal in Chinese football may damage China's bid to host the World Cup.
In a China League One match Wednesday, Nanjing Yoyo lost to Guangzhou Evergrande F.C. 10-0. The lopsided score can most likely be attributed to Nanjing having 12 players travel to Guangzhou for the match.
Needing 11 players on the pitch, the team had only one substitute. Nanjing played shorthanded because many of its players went on strike. The players said the club had not paid them in four years.
Veteran Cui Guanghao said they had no other options.
"I have been playing on this club since 2003. The club is like my home," Cui said in an interview with sina.com. "But I’m really fed up with this desperate situation."
"In June, with the help of officials from Nanjing Sports Bureau, the club gave us IOUs, promising they would pay our wages before June 30. But they broke their promise and we boycotted training and matches," said Liu Yunan, another player.
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Nanjing players show their IOUs. |
This isn't the first time the Nanjing players have gone on strike. On July 17, many players refused to play in the match against Shanghai Zhongbang, one Nanjing lost 2-1. That game, perhaps because of the tight score, did not draw much attention from fans or the media, though.
According to sina.com, after the 10-0 loss, all the senior officials of the Nanjing club shut off their cell phones. Not even the players can get in touch with the officials. The players said they want to talk to the officials but feel helpless. After an investigation, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) determined the 10-0 loss to Guangzhou was not a fixed match.
Even though the game was ruled legitimate, scandals like this are a black eye to Chinese football. The CFA has a lot of work to do to make China a qualified bidder for the World Cup.
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