Reporter Cheng Shan reported that the National Games soccer tournament came to an end, the focus of attention of Chinese soccer to the 12 strong match and the upcoming opening of the FA Cup in October. It is reported that in order to ensure the quality and fairness of the tournament, the Football Association issued a supplementary notice on the competition regulations for the main stage of the 2021 F.A.C.A. Cup as early as mid-September. This notice opens a temporary transfer window for clubs whose strength has been damaged by national team call-ups, allowing them to add players from September 29 to October 12, 2021, but with a quota limit equal to the number of players called up by the national team.
As preparations for the AFC Cup accelerate, after three rounds of qualifiers, the list of the top 32 has been revealed, including the Chinese Super League, Chinese First Division, Chinese Second Division and the U20 national team, etc. On September 29th, the draw for the AFC Cup will determine the pattern of the matchups.
The league schedule for the 2021 season was formulated with the FA prioritizing national team training to ensure fairness in the league. However, the FA Cup is held from October to November, during which national players are unable to participate, affecting the strength of teams that export many national players. The FA is seeking solutions to help these teams make up for their strength.
On September 15, the FA issued a supplementary notice clarifying that the temporary transfer window will open from September 29 to October 12, 2021, allowing clubs to complete player loans, transfers and FA Cup supplements during this period. The number of players introduced by clubs is equal to the number of players called up by the national team, and the target players must be registered players of the FA.
It is worth noting that players traded during this window can only be used in the AFC Cup and not in the December league. In addition, short-term loan players cannot return to their original teams to play in the December league, and transferred players will not be able to represent their new teams in the Chinese Super League until the 2022 season. This rule actually restricts the space for player trading.
The supplemental notice also stipulates that clubs that call up U23 players are exempt from the U23 policy during the main round of the AFC Cup, with Shanghai Shenhua and Shandong Taishan currently eligible. In addition, the epidemic prevention regulations state that any team unable to finish the tournament due to epidemic prevention issues will be deemed to have forfeited the tournament.
Despite the operational crisis faced by many clubs, the CFA Cup will remain the focal point of fans' attention as the Chinese B and CFA tournaments continue and the Chinese Super League teams have begun training.
