SHANGHAI – Fans of five rival Chinese football clubs have joined forces to condemn a controversial FA ruling that could see their teams made to change their names for next season.
Under a so-called “neutral name” edict that says clubs have to remove references to investors and companies that own them, almost all 16 Chinese Super League teams reportedly face having to rebrand.
It is part of a wide-ranging football reform policy in China stretching back to 2015 designed to increase interest and make the country a major force in the sport.
But it has infuriated fans who, in some cases, have never known their team to be called anything else.
The Beijing News said last month that, with the exception of Rafael Benitez’s Dalian…
