Shandong Taishan Needs to Calculate the Accounts of External Battles: Huge Difference in Income Between Two Levels of Asian Champions League

At 8 pm on August 13th, Shandong Taishan will host Bangkok United in the Asian Champions League Elite Playoff.

Ma Dexing wrote: “Just for this match against Bangkok United, in terms of income, there is at least a $500,000 difference between winning and losing.”

Ma Dexing said that even if Shandong Taishan fails to defeat Bangkok United in the playoffs, they still have to compete in the second-tier Asian Champions League, unlike Shanghai SIPG last season. Whether they compete in the Asian Champions League Elite or the Asian Champions League, Shandong Taishan will need to spend money, but the cost and expenses of competing in the Asian Champions League are even higher than the Asian Champions League Elite. Shandong Taishan needs to understand this.

In terms of bonuses, with the restructuring of the three-tier Asian Champions League, teams entering the Asian Champions League Elite will receive a $100,000 appearance fee per game, guaranteeing Shandong Taishan a minimum income of $800,000. If Shandong Taishan achieves four victories in the group stage (league stage) as they did last season, they will receive an additional $400,000 in winning bonuses, meaning they can earn $1.2 million in the first stage. This is much higher than the income from the group stage of the Asian Champions League last season. In the new season, the Asian Champions League Elite will also see a significant increase in appearance fees after entering the knockout rounds: Teams that advance to the Round of 16 will receive $200,000 each; those who advance to the quarterfinals will see their appearance fees double to $400,000; and reaching the semifinals will result in a $600,000 appearance fee. This means that if Shandong Taishan reaches the quarterfinals, they will earn at least $1 million.

If they unfortunately enter the Asian Champions League, with the same win-loss record as last season, Shandong Taishan will only earn $500,000. This represents a net loss of $700,000 compared to the $1.2 million they could earn for the same performance in the Asian Champions League Elite.

Finally, Ma Dexing wrote: “Therefore, regardless of whether they can replicate last season’s feat of reaching the quarterfinals and bringing glory to the Chinese Super League, from a revenue perspective alone, Shandong Taishan’s win or loss in the match against Bangkok United on August 13th will result in a difference of at least $500,000 (approximately 3.58 million yuan).”

“On the other hand, from the perspective of technical points awarded by the AFC’s member associations, the Chinese Super League finished seventh in Asia after last season, and Shandong Taishan played a significant role in ensuring that the Chinese Super League surpassed Thailand, securing ‘2+1’ berths for the Chinese Super League in the Elite League. Wins and losses in the Asian Champions League will also be included in the technical points system, but the value of a single match in the technical point conversion process is only one-third that of the Elite League, significantly less valuable than the Elite League. “

“Therefore, from any perspective, Shandong Taishan, currently facing a financial shortfall, needs to think clearly and understand that facing the upcoming playoffs, should they temporarily set aside all other contradictions and conflicts, focus all their efforts on defeating Bangkok United and securing a spot in the main competition of the Elite League, or should they continue their internal conflicts and put their primary goals on hold?”