New Chinese League Rules Puts Mikel's Future In Jeopardy

Barely a month after John Mikel Obi joined Chinese club, Tianjin TEDA, the Chinese Football Association (CFA), is set to reduce the number of foreign players teams can field in each match.

The CFA has said only three foreign players will be allowed to play any league game.

The new rule also plans to allow teams have only five non-Chinese footballers in their squad.

The current rule allows Chinese clubs to field four foreign players in each game, with one of the slots reserved for a player from another Asian country.

This is expected to disrupt transfer plans of many teams, with two months left before the start of the new season. The new season will kick off on March 4.

The transfer window opened on January 1 and many of the 16 top-flight sides have brought in players from Australia, Uzbekistan and South Korea to fill their Asian spots.

It is likely that the CSGA's statement was just a warning shot, rather than any meaningful policy. Signing the likes of Witsel and Tevez will undoubtedly still be seen as a coup by China's top brass, but how long can CSL spending last?