Journalist: While foreign players can greatly enhance the team’s strength, it also means that local players lose the opportunity for training and improvement

The well-known journalist Ma Dekang from Titan Sports recently discussed the issue of foreign players on social media.

After the launch of the new AFC Elite League, perhaps the biggest highlight is the AFC’s comprehensive relaxation of the foreign player policy, with the foreign player policies of domestic leagues in member associations directly applicable to the AFC Champions League. As a result, in the first round of the Elite League, we witnessed for the first time the spectacle of nine, or even ten foreign players.

In East Asia, besides Johor Darul Ta’zim fielding nine foreign players, Buriram United of Thailand also deployed seven foreign players when they hosted last year’s J-League champions Vissel Kobe. To some extent, the presence of multiple foreign players helped Southeast Asian teams secure two points in the first round of the Elite League. However, in contrast, teams from South Korea and Japan seem unaffected by the relaxation of foreign player policies, even though the J-League has had no limits on foreign players since the 2021 season.

In other words, whether under the old system or the new Elite League, Korean and Japanese teams seem to have a consistent approach, which is to use continental stages to level up their local players and improve their standards. In comparison, while Chinese Super League (CSL) teams are right to value the AFC Champions League and make full use of the rules, correspondingly, local players lose such opportunities for training and improvement.

Under the AFC’s comprehensive opening of foreign player policies, should the CSL further relax its foreign player policies or maintain the current status quo and enhance the competitive level of the CSL through other means? This is a topic worthy of further in-depth research. Of course, after all, the Elite League has just started its first round, and it is far too early to draw any conclusions. However, in the face of various changes, the CSL and Chinese football need to conduct a comprehensive assessment to choose the most beneficial path for the development of Chinese football.