Shandong Luneng's Pedro Delgado, center, is in action in a Chinese Super League match against Beijing Guo'an in July, 2019. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - The raging spread of the coronavirus has brought global sporting events to a standstill, and professional leagues across Europe and North America such as Bundesliga, La Liga, and NHL are being forced to reduce player salaries amid the ongoing crisis. Yet calls for football players pay cuts have evoked mixed feelings in China.

Clubs: a painful dilemma

The Chinese Super League season was supposed to begin on February 22 but was indefinitely postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Zero revenue while the expenditure remains the same. No games. No sponsorship. No ticket sales. No proceeds at all

Sun Di, General Manager, Qingdao Huanghai

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"Zero revenue while the expenditure remains the same," is the status quo of most Chinese football clubs, as described by Sun Di, general manager of second-tier league side Qingdao Huanghai.

"No games. No sponsorship. No ticket sales. No proceeds at all," Sun said.

Although no CSL teams can make a profit since the inception of the league in 2004, all clubs remain silent on pay cuts talks.

"It is not just about pay cuts," a small-sized club said. "The new season has not yet begun, and if players are disgruntled with the decision, they might play badly, and that would be a disaster for clubs who have difficulty in avoiding relegation."

A new CSL club said that it is "inclined to cut pay", but added that it will prioritize the policies of FIFA and the Chinese Football Association (CFA).

There are rumors that the CFA will hold a video conference this week with CSL clubs and a discussion surrounding salaries is on the agenda.

"All clubs are watching, the problem is that no one wants to be the first (to follow the pay cut policy)," another club manager told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Players: Difference between China and Europe

"My club hasn't talked about it, but I can tell you that nobody on my team wants a pay cut," a veteran player told Xinhua.

Members of Wuhan Zall FC Chinese football team arrive at the Malaga's Costa del Sol Airport on Jan 29, 2020. (JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)

Wuhan Zall defender Ai Zhibo, one of the few players willing to talk openly about the issue, voiced his opposition against pay cuts on social media.

"First, unlike European clubs, the major source of income for CSL clubs is commercial sponsorship, so the impact of a short-term league lockdown is hardly traumatic. Second, while players from European clubs can take breaks at home, most Chinese players are still training with teams. Third, salary reduction may not be legitimate due to the lack of relevant clauses in the contract between clubs and players," Ai wrote on his Weibo account.

Some other players, however, say that a "moderate reduction is reasonable" and they are willing to bail out their clubs if necessary.

Fans: Pay cut should have been taken long ago

Online comments have shown that most Chinese football fans are for pay cuts, saying that "players' salaries should have been lowered long ago."

In a poll initiated by PP Sports and NetEase, more than 90 percent of fans support pay cuts. A Weibo vote shows that 71 percent support a pay cut and 16 percent think it depends on the amount of financial loss.

It is a common belief that CSL players have long been overpaid. According to the 2019 Global Sports Salaries Survey report released by Sports Intelligence, the CSL ranked sixth in the world with an average annual salary of US$1.2 million, just after the top five leagues in Europe.

At the end of 2018, the CFA announced the introduction of a salary cap of 10 million yuan (US$1.42 million) a year for domestic players to clamp down on big spending.

Insiders: Negotiate first

"Despite the labor relations between clubs and the players, they have common interests," said Adam Zhang, founder of Key-Solution Sports Consulting Company.

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For a club, Zhang reckons, revenue come from TV rights payments, ticket sales and sponsorship. He urged footballers to understand the gravity of the current situation, saying if games are canceled, revenues will definitely shrink. 

"They'd better reach an agreement through negotiations," said Zhang.