He Chao of Wuhan Three Towns Revisits Wage Arrears: Can’t Leave, No Money, Just Want to Say Goodbye to Wuhan Fans

On October 25, He Chao, a player for Wuhan Three Towns, once again addressed the issue of wage arrears on social media. He stated that the current situation is that he cannot leave, there is no money, and he just wants to say goodbye to the Wuhan fans who like him. He aims to stand his last post with effort and complete his beautiful but imperfect journey with Wuhan Three Towns!

Excerpts from He Chao’s social media post:

Recently, everyone has seen that many people have come out to criticize me, saying I am ungrateful, disloyal, and unwilling to share in hard times. Since this is the case, I will talk about what I have experienced over the past three years.

In early 2022, I received an invitation to join the team. It was an honor to become a part of Wuhan Three Towns and contribute my strength to football in this heroic city. Initially, no one could have predicted that we would win the championship; even we ourselves did not think about it much. After all, we were a new team, and our initial goal was probably to finish in the top six. However, as the matches progressed, we saw some hope and the opportunity to bring Wuhan its first Chinese Super League title. The boss then convened a meeting and officially announced that we would strive for Wuhan Three Towns’ and Wuhan’s first Chinese Super League title, offering us a generous championship bonus. As you all know, we won the championship, and everything started from there.

In 2023, it was promised that the bonus issues would be resolved by June, but the team did not fulfill this promise. We were then informed that the club was facing financial difficulties and asked for our understanding. The championship bonus would be paid, but we were asked to wait a bit longer. This wait lasted for three months. They said the issue would be resolved before the AFC Champions League began, but we only received an announcement in September, and even our basic match bonuses were not paid. However, the club still offered win bonuses before each match. At that time, I particularly believed in the team because I often said that if the club did not want to pay, they could simply not promise the win bonuses. But since they continued to make promises, I believed they would definitely pay. I was willing to believe in the team’s difficulties and share in both good and bad times. However, even basic salaries could not be paid on time, so at the last meeting in December 2023, we were promised that all wage arrears would be settled by the end of 2023.

Some people say I should leave, that I have hurt someone’s feelings. In fact, I am also hurt because we tried our best to solve the problem, but we are like fish in the sea, so insignificant, receiving no response or respect. I cannot leave, there is no money, and in such an environment, I have to suppress my unhappiness every day. I am not your hero, nor am I that great. Don’t say I didn’t go through proper channels to file a complaint; the judgment was already issued and notified to the club in early September. But I haven’t even had anyone communicate with me, let alone receive any money. There’s no need to paint such a big picture; I can neither eat it nor take it away.

I know many people will criticize me at this moment, but I don’t care. I have said so much, and I just want to say goodbye to the Wuhan fans who like me, thanking them for their support. Perhaps this year I have indeed let down everyone’s enthusiastic expectations.

I will stand my last post with effort and complete my beautiful but imperfect journey with Wuhan Three Towns! Finally, I hope Wuhan Three Towns continues to improve and that everyone will come to the stadium to continue supporting the team through the final matches of the 2024 season.