Guangzhou’s rapid rise began when property developers China Evergrande bought the club in 2010 when it was in China’s second tier.
The new ownership group renamed the team Guangzhou Evergrande and invested heavily on and off the field, aligning with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambition to make the country a football superpower capable of hosting – and to win – the World Cup.
World Cup-winning Italian coach Marcello Lippi was appointed manager in 2012 and has masterminded three CSL titles, a China FA Cup and the AFC Champions League.
Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002, enjoyed even more success, winning seven trophies in two and a half years.
Former Tottenham and Barcelona midfielder Paulinho, ex-Italy striker Alberto Gilardino and ex-Colombia striker Jackson Martinez were among the foreign stars arriving for large transfer fees and equally high wages.
But Guangzhou was far from alone in spending heavily.
A large number of international players moved to China as the CSL sought to compete with powerhouses such as the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga.
Brazilian striker Hulk has joined Shanghai SIPG, managed by former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, for £46 million.
Chelsea midfielder Oscar soon followed for £60 million, while former Manchester City and United striker Carlos Tevez moved to Shanghai Shenhua for £40 million.
All earned huge salaries and, in 2016, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said the money spent on players by Chinese clubs posed a “danger to every team in the world”.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger added that “China appears to have the financial might to move an entire European championship to China.”
In 2019, Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale – at one point the world’s most expensive player – was linked with a move to Jiangsu Suning on a reported £1million-a-week salary.
But things quickly began to change. The Chinese Football Federation, wary of spiraling spending, introduced a “luxury tax” that made large money transfers prohibitive.
A salary cap was also introduced and sponsors were banned from naming teams, meaning Guangzhou Evergrande was renamed Guangzhou FC.
Evergrande was already in financial difficulty at that point and in 2021 they defaulted on their debt payments amid a wider real estate crisis in China which was exacerbated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. 19.
The company filed for bankruptcy in 2022, plunging Guangzhou into crisis. Their ambitious stadium plans were canceled and players were sold, resulting in relegation later in the year.
After narrowly missing out on promotion in the 2024 season, Guangzhou were denied permission to take part in the next campaign due to their ongoing financial problems.
However, the club remains hopeful of existing in one form or another.
“We regret that we failed to achieve this, which is why we offer our deepest apologies to the fans and people from all walks of life who support the club,” Guangzhou said in a statement.
“We will not change our original intention and will do our best to deal with the consequences and support the development of Chinese football and Guangdong and Guangzhou football.”
