Chinese football authorities tighten limits on transfer spending
The Chinese Football Association announced the regulations ahead of the anticipated confirmation of Cedric Bakambu moving to Beijing Guoan.
Chinese football authorities have announced that clubs who refuse to pay transfer taxes will be liable for point deductions and will be unavailable to register the transferred player with the Chinese Football Association (CFA).
The announcement came after several clubs have tried to avoid paying the 100 percent tax on transfers of foreign players that exceed a 45-million-yuan limit (€5.8m), imposed on teams last summer after the heavy spending in the Chinese Super League (CSL).
Bakambu’s deal in risk
Last month La Liga side Villareal announced that Bakambu was leaving the team after receiving the €37 million required to buy him out of his contract by Chinese club Beijing Guoan.
'Villarreal CF confirms that Cédric Bakambu has terminated his contract and no longer belongs to the Yellow club,' Villareal said in a statement.
According to the 100 percent tax, the Beijing side would require to pay €37 million on top of the €37 million they have already paid out for the Congolese international.
However, the club thought they had found a loophole. Since Beijing Guoan payed the release clause of Bakambu, the player was a free agent for a moment, therefore free to sign for the Chinese club without them paying any transfer fee.
In a statement issued on Monday, the CFA said that deals that include players or third parties paying a buy-out-clause, will still be considered a transfer, therefore subject to pay the 100 percent tax.
CSL clubs have until the culmination of the transfer window at the end of February to register their squads and to pay their transfer taxes.
Guan could face a 10-point deduction
Depending on the amount paid for a player, point deduction sanctions will range from one to 15 points.
In case that Beijing Guoan doesn’t pay the required taxes for the signing of Bakambu, the CFA will deduct 10 points from the team, as the paid fee was between 23-46m euros, and the Congolese won’t be available to play in the CSL.
Players who have signed on loan deals will also be subject to the tax, this means that Tianjin Quanjian’s capture of Anthony Modeste on a two-year loan deal from Cologne last summer will be investigated by Chinese authorities.