Another Chinese Super League Team Faces Relegation Crisis; African Star Could Become Transfer Target

In the 26th round of the Chinese Super League, Qingdao Hainiu lost 1-2 to Dalian Yingbo. They became a team that fielded only two foreign players and suffered a shocking ninth consecutive defeat. Currently, Qingdao Hainiu have only 14 points and remain at the bottom of the standings, still eight points away from the relegation zone. With only four rounds remaining in the league, Qingdao Hainiu have almost secured one of the relegation spots.

If Qingdao Hainiu are relegated to China League One again, it would undoubtedly be a nightmare for their supporters. Founded in 1993, the long-established football club was Qingdao's first professional football team. Over more than three decades, they have experienced ups and downs from the Chinese Super League to China League One and China League Two, once fighting their way back from difficult periods and returning to the top division again in 2023.

However, as a small and medium-sized club struggling to survive through private investment, Qingdao Hainiu has endured the challenges of the era of big spending in football and continues to persevere. The investors behind the club understand the difficulties involved. Although the team's financial strength cannot compare with major clubs such as Shandong Taishan, Shanghai Port and Guoan from the same province, Qingdao Hainiu have never abandoned their pursuit of competitive achievements. Since returning to the CSL in 2023, the team has managed to avoid relegation for two consecutive seasons.

This season, due to the follow-up handling of historical match-fixing and gambling-related cases, nine Chinese Super League clubs including Qingdao Hainiu received point deductions of varying degrees. Qingdao Hainiu started the season with a -7 point deficit, which was a major setback for a team with limited strength and left them with almost no chance to overturn their relegation situation.

In addition, the club failed to retain Li Xiaopeng, who was a key figure in their survival last season, and instead brought in foreign coach Ristic, which has been viewed as a major mistake. Although Ristic has advanced coaching ideas, he was apparently not sufficiently prepared for a modest club like Qingdao Hainiu. This contributed to the team's repeated defeats this season and pushed them deeper into the relegation battle.

Even if relegation appears almost certain, some of the team's capable players have attracted attention from many CSL clubs. Foreign players including Ye Bo-ya and Ezuma, as well as young domestic talents such as Jin Yonghao, Li Suda, Gong Ruicong and Kuang Zhaolei, have all become popular recruitment targets. In particular, Ghana international Ye Bo-ya, whose market value is said to have reached 1 million euros, has scored seven goals this season thanks to his outstanding performances. His contract expires at the end of the year, and when he becomes a free agent, the Ghanaian forward will undoubtedly become a highly sought-after figure in the transfer market.