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Super League postponed over sponsorship troubles
The China Football Association voted to postpone the start of the new Super League season as clubs were having difficulty finding sponsors.
Newly appointed CFA boss Xie Yalong agreed to delay the season from March 5 to April 2 at the annual pre-season league meeting, said a report on the Huaao Xingkong website, run by the China Olympic Committee.
However, all scheduled league matches would eventually be played, the report said.
The CFA could not immediately be reached for comment.
Sponsorship difficulties emerged following last season's disastrous maiden Super League campaign, which ended in a near boycott by clubs following widespread allegations of corruption, match fixing and gambling.
Earlier this week, 11 clubs complained of difficulties in finding sponsors and said they needed more time to prepare.
Xie, who was appointed to replace the sacked Yan Shiduo last week, was expected to rule himself on the proposal during Thursday's meeting. Instead he put it to a vote by the club owners, signalling a new development in how the communist-run CFA operates.
The teams also wanted the delay because the league has not announced who will be its major sponsor after German electronics giant Siemens pulled out of its multi-million dollar contribution in January.
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