The club, which already had stars like Felipão and Paulinho in its squad, faces economic difficulties and is excluded from national competitions
Guangzhou FC, the biggest winner in Chinese football and former Asian champion, ended its professional activities on January 7, 2025 after being denied its license by the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The club accumulated billions of dollars in debt due to the financial crisis of its owner, the Evergrande group.
The CFA excluded Guangzhou FC from the list of 49 teams that will participate in professional competitions in 2025. The club tried to raise funds to pay off its debts, but was unsuccessful.
The club dominated Chinese football by winning 8 Chinese Super League (CSL) titles, 7 of which were consecutive between 2011 and 2017. In addition, it won the Asian Champions League twice.
Under the command of Luiz Felipe Scolari, Marcello Lippi and Fabio Cannavaro, Guangzhou FC invested heavily in international players. In 2016, he set an Asian record by paying US$46 million for striker Jackson Martinez.
The decline began when its owner, the Evergrande group, faced difficulties in the Chinese real estate market. In 2020, the club began construction on a $1.86 billion stadium, a project canceled in 2022 when the group accumulated $300 billion in debt.
In 2022, the club was relegated to the 2nd division. In the 2024 season, he finished third and failed to return to the Chinese football elite.
Guangzhou FC’s crisis reflects a delicate moment in Chinese football. Between 2015 and 2017, local clubs invested more than 2.5 billion dollars in international signings. After government measures to contain excessive spending and the real estate crisis, several traditional clubs went into financial collapse.
