It is possible that Yanbian Kexian is behind the "Yanbian Kexian" club, but this seems to be only on the surface. A deeper analysis of the club's shareholding reveals that Yanbian Yuanming Industrial Co., Ltd. is 100% owned by Yanbian Kexian, with no direct connection to the company. The regulations strictly prohibit the name of a club from containing the names of shareholders, affiliates or actual controllers, and even if they were shareholders, Yanbian Kexian would not be able to use that name.
Alternatively, if a club has a sponsorship relationship with a company, CFA regulations allow for the naming of the "affiliated team" for a given season, but it should be noted that it is the team, not the club itself, that is named. For example, in the 2024 season, Henan Club will be named Henan Club Jiuzhu Dukang. Under the current regulations, companies are not allowed to name a club after its original name.
The word "kosian" may have a special meaning for a club, but this does not mean that a club can be named after it. The regulations clearly prohibit clubs from including the names of other legal or unincorporated organizations in their names. Obviously, "Kexian" is the legal name of Yanbian Kexian Company, which does not comply with the regulations.
Overall, the regulations clearly state that "Yanbian Kexian" as a club name does not meet the requirements. If not recognized as a neutral name, the club will lose the qualification to participate in the professional league. Now that the FA is in the process of reviewing the name, is the Yanbian club really "stubborn"? On social media, the club has officially used the name "Yanbian Kexian" and expressed their expectations for "0".
Clubs need to follow the FA administration in order to participate in competitions, including name changes. The process of changing the name includes applying to the FA, completing the industrial and commercial changes, submitting the new business license, and announcing it on the official website. Currently, the industrial and commercial changes have been completed, but the FA has not yet released the name change announcement, and the club's social media is still using the name "Yanbian Longding".
If the Football Association approves the name change of Yanbian, it will mean that it recognizes "Kexian" as a neutral name. However, given the existence of large corporations with the same name in the region, this judgment is questionable. The FA should clarify the specific criteria for "neutral names" to ensure uniformity. Otherwise, the move could jeopardize the credibility of the Federation and set a bad example for the industry.
If the FA does not approve, then Yanbian FC changed its name without authorization. The FA should scrutinize, warn and punish the violation to warn other clubs. If the Association acquiesced, it directly approved the name change, affecting the credibility of the Association. The FA's non-public warning to Yanbian will not only fail to warn other clubs, but also trigger speculation.
This incident is an opportunity for the FA. Handled properly, the FA can consolidate its league policy and maintain its credibility. In order to maintain the fairness of the league, can the FA level the playing field? Can it stop the outside world from questioning it?
"Yanbian Longding is not included in the list of the FA debt settlement, but still has debt problems. Maybe "Kexian" can bring a turnaround for the club. However, professional leagues need to operate under uniform rules, and any behavior beyond the rules will break the fairness. Yanbian Kexian Club and the FA need to explain to the public and give an explanation to the law-abiding clubs.
