Ma Dekang: Under the Reform and New Policies of AFC Champions League, CSL Teams Unexpectedly Lead the Pack

Journalist Ma Dekang wrote that in the first round of the newly reformed 2024-2025 season AFC Champions League Elite League, which took place from September 16 to 19, the performances of the three Chinese Super League (CSL) teams were somewhat surprising.

On September 17, Shandong Taishan made their home debut. Despite a controversial penalty call just before halftime, they managed to defeat Australia’s Central Coast Mariners 3-1, marking the first victory for CSL teams in this year’s AFC Champions League. Following this, Shanghai Shenhua, after being down 0-1, staged a comeback to win 4-1 against South Korea’s Pohang Steelers, securing another win for the CSL. However, the CSL leader, Shanghai Port, failed to achieve a third consecutive win for the league, only managing a disappointing 2-2 draw with Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim.

In fact, the two wins and one draw, earning seven points, by the three CSL teams is the best performance among all participating member associations in East Asia. This has likely surprised many domestic fans. With three teams each competing, South Korea only managed one win with the other two matches ending in losses; Japan had one win, one draw, and one loss. Looking across Asia, even the league widely recognized as the “biggest spender” — Saudi Arabia’s league — achieved only two wins and one draw with its three teams, including Al-Hilal’s 3-1 away win against Qatar’s Al-Rayyan and Al-Ahli’s narrow 1-0 home win over Iran’s Persepolis. Only Al-Nassr, due to Ronaldo’s absence, drew 1-1 away against Iraq’s Police team.

Facing such results, given the current reality of the CSL, it is not just acceptable but even satisfactory from any perspective. The transfer fees spent in a single summer window are almost equal to or far exceed the entire operating costs of a CSL season. Yet, the Saudi teams have the same record as the CSL teams. What more could one ask for? If Saudi Arabia is considered slightly better, it might be because two of their teams played away, while all three CSL teams played at home.

For this reason, the journalist suggested that the new AFC Champions League has at least restored some confidence to the CSL, and this is not mere exaggeration. To some extent, we need to reassess the significance and value of the Chinese Super League.