At its peak, Chinese Super League (CSL) juggernaut Guangzhou Evergrande shocked the Asian soccer world, and its strong financial power drove up prices in the global soccer transfer market. But the helm of Chen Xuyuan brought a new chapter in Chinese soccer management. He questioned the significance of championships, issued successive salary restrictions, canceled the U23 policy, and tried to improve the status of local players and the overall level of the national team. However, all of this seems to be in vain. There is no shortcut to improving local strength, and the only way to do so is to improve the youth training system in the long run.

The introduction of the wage restriction has indeed injected a coolant into the Chinese Super League, which was then characterized by "gold dollar soccer". Reasonable wage control will help the league to develop healthily. However, the "Neutral Name Policy" has dealt a severe blow to the Chinese Super League and even the entire Chinese professional soccer. Although Chen Xuyuan's initial intention of implementing this policy was good, drawing on the successful experience of world soccer, this policy is not suitable for the current environment of Chinese professional soccer.

The Chinese soccer market is very different from that of foreign countries, with differences in the purchasing power of fans and the mode of operation of professional soccer. Chinese professional soccer is more dependent on the investment of the owners, whereas foreign soccer is self-sufficient through commercial operation. The neutral name policy has directly affected the interests of the gold owners, leading to a decrease in investment and even the announcement of the dissolution of some teams. Nowadays, the problem of salary arrears is frequent and the FA is under great pressure.

Nonetheless, there are still teams that are holding on in the face of adversity. However, fans have noticed that these teams have generally defaulted on wages in the last two seasons.The 2023 Chinese Super League season has yet to begin, mainly because some teams have failed to complete their debt liquidation. In the first list of clubs to complete debt settlement released by the FA, six teams failed to make the list, including Wuhan Changjiang and Hebei. Some have questioned how the plight of these teams is related to the neutral name policy.

As a matter of fact, the essence of professional soccer lies in making profits. Canceling the neutral name and restoring the naming rights may bring a ray of hope for Chinese professional soccer. At the critical moment of survival, letting the gold owners see the benefits is the key to saving Chinese soccer.

Finally, the neutral name of the team can be changed at will, so how do you create a 100-year club? This is a question worth pondering.

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