Shanghai soccer team takes ethics vow

The players of Shanghai Shenhua Football Club, one of the most well-known clubs in Chinese professional soccer, took a vow of integrity and self-discipline on Wednesday during the team's first public appearance at its new Shanghai Stadium home ground in the city's Xuhui district.

As a major highlight of the team's inauguration ceremony for the 2023 season, team leader Mao Yijun read out an industry integrity and self-discipline proposal on behalf of the whole team.

The proposal, drafted by the club, calls on all coaches and athletes of the club to uphold professional ethics, strictly abide by the competition rules, strictly abide by national laws, respect social ethics, respect family, respect community, respect self-cultivation, self-discipline, self-love, establish a good public image, and consciously accept the supervision of fans, the media and all sectors of society.

Gu Jiqing, Party secretary and general manager of Shanghai Shenhua Football Club, said the proposal is a promise from Shenhua to help maintain the public image of Chinese soccer, and build a high-level sports team with a professional attitude and a positive social image.

Shenhua's move to highlight professional ethics and self-discipline is a response to the country's ongoing anti-corruption drive in soccer.

China's top anti-graft bodies have launched a crackdown on corruption and misconduct in the game since November when Li Tie, former head coach of the Chinese men's soccer team, was placed under investigation for suspected serious violations of laws and discipline.

Since then, eight current and former senior Chinese soccer officials, including the president of the Chinese Football Association Chen Xuyuan, and Du Zhaocai, deputy director of the General Administration of Sport of China and CFA vice-president, have been placed under investigation.

While details of the investigations have yet to be revealed, there has been a high expectation for a rebirth of Chinese soccer after the anti-corruption campaign. The sport is experiencing an all-time low with a slumping national team and financially struggling professional teams.

Like many Chinese Super League clubs, Shanghai Shenhua struggled to survive after the league was interrupted by the pandemic for three years.

The club changed ownership this year, with State-owned Jiushi Group becoming its 100 percent shareholder. Shenhua then shifted its home ground from Hongkou Football Stadium to Shanghai Stadium.

Jiushi expects Shenhua not only to strive for good results in the new season, but also to portray a club image with integrity and professional ethics.

Ahead of the ceremony on Tuesday, all team members visited the Site of the First Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Mao, the team leader, said that it is very meaningful for the whole team to visit the historical site of the Party's founding before the start of the new season.

"As a soccer club and a grassroots unit in the sports industry, while we improve our competitive performance, we must also establish correct values, strictly abide by various disciplines and regulations, have the courage to fight against unhealthy practices, and strive to show a positive image in the new season," Mao said.

The team will take on Shandong Taishan in their first home match on Sunday as part of the 2023 Chinese Super League, which kicks off this weekend.

A total of 16 teams, including Shenhua's city rival, Shanghai Port, will be taking part in this year's CSL, two fewer than last year. Two of the 16 teams will be relegated in November when the league concludes.