Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic players have turned to the public for support as they seek to claw their unpaid wages back from the Chinese Super League club.
According to a letter issued by several Chongqing players on social media on Wednesday, some of them have been unpaid for as long as 16 months.
Many employees of the Chongqing club are living on borrowed money or doing part-time jobs, the letter said.
"From 2019 until now, we have been subjected to the miseries caused by unpaid salaries. Our consistent, quiet and whole-hearted commitments have been rewarded by repeated lip service that failed to be realized," the letter read.
"With the start of the 2022 season around the corner, we are finding ourselves and Chongqing football in a precarious situation. We therefore beseech people from all walks of life in Chongqing to support us," the letter added.
Troubles seem to be brewing inside the Chongqing club this week.
The Chinese Super League side suspended training sessions for its youth teams on Tuesday, saying it was a decision forced upon the club by harsh realities, but resumed training the next day, claiming that "We cannot put the youths' development in danger."
Also on Tuesday, a report emerged saying that a local court had decided to freeze the Chongqing club's accounts, after an unnamed ex-player accused the club of failing to pay his salary. The club's account will remain frozen until the dispute is settled.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Chinese Super League fixtures, which are rumoured to start in early June, will be played in three venues - Dalian, Meizhou and Haikou - in a centralized format. The schedule is yet to be decided.
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