London (AFP) – China's astonishing spending spree on foreign players could all end in tears like the United States' first foray into building a football league in the 1970's, according to Brighton chief executive Paul Barber. Barber, whose side are on course for promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history, […]

Beijing (AFP) – Shanghai SIPG confirmed Wednesday the signing of former Real Madrid and Chelsea player Ricardo Carvalho, the official Xinhua news agency said, making him the latest foreigner to be tempted by the riches of China's Super League. Carvalho's signing had been finalised by the end of winter training, but the announcement was delayed […]

Beijing (AFP) – Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande have announced plans to field a Chinese-only squad by 2020, official media said on Tuesday, in a surprise turnaround after years of success based on big-money foreign signings. Evergrande have won the Chinese Super League for the last six season, plus the AFC Champions League in 2013 and […]

Beijing (AFP) – European clubs Inter Milan, Aston Villa and Sochaux have had a high turnover of managers since Chinese takeovers, sparking fears that their trigger-happy new owners have little patience and no strategy. "Many buyouts are irrational and defy the laws of the market," Zhou Jiming, a football analyst and director at the official China […]

Berlin (AFP) – Australian international winger Robbie Kruse has left Bayer Leverkusen to join Chinese Super League side Liaoning Whowin FC, the German club said on Sunday. The 28-year-old Kruse, just the latest European-based player to be enticed by the riches on offer in China, has already passed a medical at his new club in […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Chinese football authorities will impose salary caps on domestic clubs and send auditors to probe their finances, toughening a crackdown on the record-breaking sums spent to acquire top foreign players. Teams will be required to provide detailed information on their financial situations including funding sources, and the salary caps will be devised […]

Shanghai (AFP) – China is cracking down on the use of pricey foreign players by its domestic league teams just as sides are gearing up for the coming season. Here's how it happened: Getting the ball rolling The Chinese domestic league had been steadily growing by the time President Xi Jinping took office in 2012 […]

Beijing (AFP) – The Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced Monday that it is reducing the number of foreign players a team can field as the country's cash-rich clubs continue to lure international talent. Teams in the top-flight Chinese Super League will be able to field no more than three foreigners per match when the new […]

Beijing (AFP) – China will put limits on the wild sums its clubs are spending on international football players, authorities said Thursday, days after the transfer window opened and the Asian record was promptly smashed. In an interview posted on the General Administration of Sport, an unnamed spokesman said the government would "regulate and restrain […]

Beijing (AFP) – "Biggest", "hugest", "most ever". Analysts are piling up the superlatives as China prepares to splash out astronomical sums for footballing talent during the winter transfer window in deals that analysts say involve more money than sense. Last year Chinese teams broke the Asian transfer record four times in an acquisition spree that […]

Beijing (AFP) – China's state media warned a "bubble" had developed in Chinese football on Friday after spending topped $1 billion this year and rumours swirled of yet more big-money signings. Chelsea's Oscar and Argentine forward Carlos Tevez were the latest players linked with the deep-pocketed Chinese Super League this week as clubs look set […]

London (AFP) – Former Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini has risked infuriating Arsenal by offering fellow Chilean Alexis Sanchez a lucrative move to the Chinese club he now manages. Sanchez, who along with German World Cup winner Mesut Ozil has been in protracted discussions with Arsenal over a new contract, could reportedly earn as much […]

Hong Kong (AFP) – Heavy Chinese investment is reshaping the landscape of world football but fortunes could be lost as well as made in an environment that remains "a bit Wild West". Few expect the flow of money to dry up quickly after a year marked by a surge in Chinese purchases of foreign clubs, […]

Beijing (AFP) – Former Manchester City defender Sun Jihai, one of the first Chinese footballers to play in the English Premier League, has announced his retirement from the sport. "Today I am retiring, bidding farewell to 22 years of campaigning on the football pitch," the 39-year-old wrote in a statement posted on his verified Weibo […]

Dongguan (China) (AFP) – Newly rich Chinese football isn't all about millionaire players and famous coaches — just ask the smaller teams, who are living firmly in the shadow of their well-heeled neighbours. Chinese Super League clubs took the transfer market by storm this year when they collectively splashed out more than $400 million on […]