Chinese Super League: fans mourn Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic after demise days before 2022 season

Heavy debts force club out of existence after 26 years on the eve of the delayed new season, set to get under way on June 3

Players and staff had already turned to the courts to pursue unpaid wages going back more than a year

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Fans of Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic place club merchandise and flowers outside its offices after it folded under heavy debts. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:10pm, 24 May 2022Updated: 5:39pm, 24 May 2022

Chinese Super League side Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic have ceased operating, citing heavy debts, just days before the delayed new season kicks off.

Speculation about the future of Chongqing had swirled on social media in China for weeks, but officials on Tuesday confirmed that after 26 years in existence the club had called it quits.

Debts and unpaid salaries going back some 16 months were behind the club’s demise. Last week its bank accounts were frozen after unnamed players took legal action over unpaid wages.

The Chinese Football Association is understood to have called an urgent meeting to discuss the option of replacing the club in the CSL, with Dalian Pro believed to be a candidate to step in.

Messages of support appeared at the offices of Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic after its demise was confirmed. Photo: AFP

The northeastern city of Dalian is one of three hubs chosen to host fixtures for the 2022 season, with China imposing strict measures to control a Covid-19 outbreak.

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