Chengdu Rongcheng's "Eventful Summer"

Reporter Lu Mi reports With the end of the break, the Chinese Super League reignites its competition. The Beijing-Shanghai clash should have been the headline topic for the 17th round of matches, but the Rongcheng team, currently embroiled in significant controversy, has drawn the attention of most fans.

Chengdu Rongcheng, which has shown enough performance in the first half of the season to be considered a strong contender for this year's league championship, has had an "unsettled" break: Carlon suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and is out for the season, and there has been no news about new foreign signings; several players have left, but no new arrivals have been announced; finally, the conflict between the club and Xu Zhengyuan has been brought to the forefront...

This is certainly not good news for a team aiming for breakthrough results while facing challenges on multiple fronts. Before the arrival of the AFC Champions League, the club should strive to resolve conflicts peacefully, aiming to help the first team navigate through this pressure period smoothly.

Earlier this month, Chengdu Rongcheng's foreign player Carlon had just begun to resume training. It’s worth noting that for most of this season, Chengdu Rongcheng has been operating with four foreign players, and Carlon has been plagued by injuries, having already undergone surgery once. Carlon originally planned to use the July break to recover properly and catch up with the team's rhythm. However, during a training session just before the holiday, he sustained another serious injury while attempting to make a save, resulting in a diagnosis of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, effectively ruling him out for the season.

Before this, the club had not made contact with any new foreign players. However, after Carlon's injury, Xu Zhengyuan submitted a request for reinforcements but did not receive approval.

So far in this transfer window, Chengdu Rongcheng has not brought in any new players, only letting some go. Looking at the players who have left, they are mostly those who had minimal appearances in the league. Mutalip has been loaned to Qingdao West Coast, Feng Zhuoyi to Shijiazhuang Kungfu, Liao Lisheng to Shenzhen Xinpengcheng, and Tang Miao has transferred to Yunnan Yukun. Additionally, Henan wanted to loan midfielder Gan Chao, but Xu Zhengyuan declined due to the pressure of the upcoming schedule in the second half of the year. Although Chengdu Rongcheng appears to have a solid squad, the actual pressure in the second half of the season is immense, as the gap in points to the top spot has widened from 2 to 4, leaving little room for error.

Making their debut in the AFC Champions League qualification while also seeking to achieve breakthroughs in the FA Cup, Rongcheng underwent a club rotation at the beginning of the year. The pressure on the new management team is indeed considerable. Since becoming a new team in the Super League, Chengdu Rongcheng has improved its performance every year. This year, with a more solid squad and gameplay, everyone hopes the team can create history again. However, midway through the season, no one expected the club would suddenly face an "eventful summer." If the personnel issues can be considered "coincidental," then the simultaneous emergence of conflicts with the head coach easily suggests that the club's operational philosophy is undergoing significant changes.

On the evening of July 16, Xu Zhengyuan's wife allegedly voiced concerns on social media, describing the unfairness and disrespect Xu faced at the club and accusing him of being isolated and pressured to say he would "leave." On the 17th, Xu Zhengyuan’s annual salary in Chengdu became a focal point of media discussion. Subsequently, it was reported that the club "did not want to fulfill the contract with Xu Zhengyuan and the automatic renewal agreement, and wished to terminate the contract," to which the club did not respond.

On the evening of the 17th, Chengdu Rongcheng conducted a pre-match training session in Tianjin and held a press conference. Xu Zhengyuan and Romulo's public statements during the press conference seemed to confirm the existence of some of the conflicts between the club and the coaching staff and the resulting negative impact on the players.

Xu Zhengyuan stated at the press conference: "I should be preparing for the match here, and it feels a bit wrong to say these things now; I feel very regretful. We are indeed facing problems, and for six months I have been enduring issues within our club, and now I feel I can no longer tolerate it. There are indeed many problems, and as the head coach of the first team, I cannot just stand by. Since this winter, I have felt that the club does not trust our coaching staff, including the dismissal of previous medical team members and our translator. During winter training, all coaching contracts were only signed in March. Currently, I have very few decisions I can make. As the first half of the season ends, we have leagues, the AFC Champions League, and the FA Cup in the second half, but the club has not communicated with me at all, including regarding player loans and transfers, of which I am also unaware. As the head coach, I cannot tolerate such a situation happening—let me be clear, if the club is dissatisfied with the coaching staff's work, please tell us quickly so that we can make decisions faster. For the good development of the team’s future, I hope to communicate with me soon."

Romulo, who attended the pre-match press conference together, expressed: "The team is facing a difficult situation. The difficulties we face today come from outside the field, but everyone is training and working very seriously and diligently every day. I believe our team, whether players or coaching staff, is very professional and responsible, but the leadership does not show enough respect for us. It is a pity that the achievements we built over the past five years have not been recognized; only those who truly take pride in this jersey will feel this. Therefore, I believe that as a player, I owe it to the fans to be honest. I think the people on the field now have severed some relationships with those off the field. I believe the club needs to recognize the efforts made over the past five years."

These two statements quickly sparked heated discussions. On the night of the 17th, Chengdu Rongcheng announced via social media: "We are currently communicating and negotiating relevant issues with Coach Xu Zhengyuan and his team to jointly maintain the stability and unity of the team and continue to provide exciting matches for the fans."