The Chinese Super League might be buzzing after transfer records were sent tumbling ahead of the new season, but a crumbling infrastructure underneath might threaten its long-term prospects.
After CSL champions Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao sold top scorer Elkeson to Shanghai SIPG for a record €18million in the name of supporting Chinese teams to compete in the AFC Champions League, and for the national glory , the ante was swiftly raised.
Chelsea selling Ramires to Jiangsu Suning (€26m), Jackson Martinez s €42m move to Evergrande and then Alex Teixeira joining Ramires in Nanjing after a €50m move from Shakhtar Donetsk saw the CSL s transfer record demolished four times in under a fortnight as China muscled in on the European market.
The government-backed s…