Sudden Contract Termination! Shanghai Shenhua Part Ways with Mineiro; Media Figure Says Anger Remains and Transfer Funds Went to Waste

On the night of September 1, at Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium, the Chinese FA Cup quarter-final had reached the 74th minute.

Shenhua were trailing Dalian Yingbo 0-1 at the time and had one extra player on the pitch, using their numerical advantage to launch attacks in search of an equalizer or even a comeback. Mineiro came on as a substitute in the second half, and head coach Slaven Milosevic hoped his pace could break down Yingbo's defense.

However, only 20 minutes after coming on, Mineiro, while completely away from the ball, kicked Yingbo national team player Mao Weijie's leg from behind. Referee Ren Tong checked the VAR and directly showed a red card.

The teams returned to an even 10-versus-10 situation. Shenhua failed to create any dangerous attacks for the remainder of the match, and when the final whistle blew, the scoreboard remained 0-1. Shenhua missed out on the FA Cup semi-finals.

Six days later, at 10 a.m. on September 7, Shanghai Shenhua Club issued an announcement: after reaching an agreement with the player through consultation, the club terminated Shaulo Mineiro's contract effective immediately.

The announcement included a set of statistics. Since joining in January 2025, Mineiro made 34 appearances for the team in all competitions and scored 14 goals. The club wished him all the best in his future career.

The entire announcement did not contain the word “thanks.”

Media figure Pei Li said the announcement conveyed a sense of intense anger from the club's senior management: “The courtesy was left on paper, and the attitude was left unspoken.”

The phrase “wish him all the best in his future career” carries little weight compared with farewell announcements for Shenhua's previous foreign players.

On September 4, the Chinese Football Association's Discipline and Ethics Committee issued a punishment decision: Mineiro was suspended for three matches and fined 15,000 yuan for violent conduct. Since Shenhua had already been eliminated from the FA Cup, the automatic suspension from the red card was cancelled, while the additional three-match ban was transferred to the Chinese Super League, covering matches against Chongqing Tonglianglong, Yunnan Yukun and Wuhan Three Towns.

From receiving the red card on September 1, to the punishment notice on September 4, and then the contract termination on September 7, the entire process took no more than six days.

But what truly made Shenhua decide was not that one kick, but the record book from the past year and a half.

In January 2025, Mineiro joined Shenhua from Brazilian club Ceara for 920,000 euros (about 950,000 US dollars), with the original contract running until December 31, 2026. On paper, the record of 14 goals in 34 matches did not look poor.

But breaking it down reveals a completely different picture.

In the first 14 matches of the 2025 Chinese Super League season, Mineiro recorded eight goals and five assists. Against Vissel Kobe in the AFC Champions League, he scored a header after one minute and 10 seconds and completed a hat-trick, which was his true highlight.

The turning point came on June 14, 2025. In an away match against Shenzhen Peng City, Mineiro suffered a grade-four rupture of the tendon of his right rectus femoris muscle and missed the rest of the season. After that serious injury, he never recovered his previous form.

In the 2026 Chinese Super League season, he made only eight appearances, starting twice, with an average playing time of about 29 minutes per match. He contributed two goals and two assists, including one penalty goal.

He received a foreign player's salary but produced substitute-level numbers.

Media figure Miao Yuan calculated the figures: bought for 1 million US dollars, played for less than two years, shone for half a year, spent more time “recovering and drifting,” and required additional payment to complete the termination. “Overall, it was extremely poor value.”

What the Shenhua management could not accept was that this was already the second time since Mineiro joined that he had been sent off for violent conduct and received an additional suspension. In the match against Chongqing Tonglianglong on May 9, 2026, he was sent off during stoppage time after losing control of his emotions and punching an opposing player, and again received an additional CFA suspension.

After the termination, reporter Li Xuan said Shenhua had finally shown fans “some action” and was “no longer in a state where nothing seemed to matter.” But she gave a direct reminder: “It is far from being only Mineiro's fault; those who need to summarize, reflect and take responsibility are not limited to him.”

Miao Yuan put it more strongly: “Shenhua has spent too much unnecessary money in these years.”

From signing him to terminating him, Shenhua's cost was not limited to the transfer fee. Mineiro's market value on Germany's Transfermarkt remains at 1 million euros, but his on-field return was eight Chinese Super League appearances with two starts in the 2026 season.

Blogger Matias215 pointed out Shenhua's practical consideration for making the move at this time: only four league matches remained, a foreign player's contract expired at the end of the year, and he was suspended for three games, making it of little value to keep him. “Moreover, there had previously been reports that his former club wanted him to join as a free agent after the contract ended, or even join earlier. The red card plus the additional suspension provided the best reason.”

He was also not allowed to play in the AFC Champions League Two. Miao Yuan's comment highlighted the situation: Shenhua was “directly angry and used Mineiro as the target,” using the termination to “give everyone an explanation.”

With Mineiro leaving, Shenhua will compete in the remaining Chinese Super League matches and the AFC Champions League Two with four foreign players: Andre Luis, Luis Asue, Teixeira and Manafa. Teixeira and Manafa both have contracts with Shenhua that expire at the end of this year.

On September 17, Shenhua will begin this season's AFC Champions League Two campaign at home against Singapore's Tampines Rovers.

Mineiro's departure leaves behind an account book that needs serious review. His 1 million-euro valuation and record of 34 appearances with 14 goals are frozen at that ball-less moment at Dalian Suoyuwan on September 1.