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On January 17, the Third Session of the Tenth General Meeting of the CFA (the China Football Association) was held in Wuhan. Cai Zhenhua, the President of the CFA, indicated that the football reform program would see the organisation “decouple”(from the General Administration of Sport) while staying connected, and he hoped that local football associations could have their own leagues in 1-2 years.

The management system reform, with the CFA center “decoupling” from the government sports bureau, is a significant part of Chinese football reform. “Although the CFA will disengage from the General Administration of Sport, they will stay connected in three areas,” said Cai Zhenhua. Firstly, the CFA will stay under the leadership of the Party; secondly, technical guidance and government supervision will stay connected; thirdly, the CFA will stay connected through financial support. 

After the Football Sports Management Center is closed, the CFA will take over the management responsibility from the General Administration of Sport. The previous direct budget allocation will become the expenditure of the service that the General Administration of Sport purchases from the CFA. In effect the budget is still there, but under a different item.

In 2016, the local football associations in places like Guangzhou, Sichuan, Chongqing and Hubei have already completed the “decoupling” reform. Currently there are still a quarter of local football associations engaged in the process of “decoupling.”   

Source: Sohu Sports

Proofread by Sean O Diobhilin