Chinese Super League clubs have denied their debt problems after Chinese Football Association (CFA) warned 13 clubs about the risk of being banned from the competition next season.
The clubs under investigation include title-holders Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua, and big-spending Shanghai SIPG, where superstars Oscar, Hulk, and Ricardo Carvalho play under the guidance of Andres Villas-Boas.
Those clubs could be denied entry into the league next season after failing to pay some of their players’ salaries.
As reported by BBC, Shanghai SIPG said in a statement on social media that they had “fully paid all of the arrears last October” and had “submitted its evidence to the CFA”.
Meanwhile, Jiangsu Suning, Shandong Luneng and Beijing Guoan issued similar statement. Shanghai Shenhua, who signed Carlos Tevez for a reported £40m in December, stated they were investigating and would finalise outstanding payments as soon as possible.
The move by the CFA comes after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued a statement on July 11 saying that clubs with outstanding debt would not be allowed to compete in next year’s Asian Champions League unless the arrears were paid by August 31.
All 13 clubs must settle their debts by August 15 and send proof to the Chinese Super League or face being denied entry to the league next season.