Sustainable growth

Club owners have widely backed the measures.

"Having a salary cap can help teams develop more sustainably. Regulations are necessary in a professional environment," Li Ming, general manager of Beijing Guo'an, told Xinhua last month.

"The Chinese Football Association really values our opinions. They spent all day with us discussing how to make this new policy viable. It was the first time something like this has happened since I became manager of Guo'an six years ago."

Support for the reforms also appears to extend beyond the CSL's big guns. "Smaller soccer clubs can't function if they lose billions of yuan each year. I think having a salary cap can benefit us in the long run," said Yang Nan, a representative of Henan Jianye.

Dong Zheng, the leader of the CFA's policy-making team, says the new measures are designed to put an end to the precarious financial situations that some clubs find themselves in.

"The purpose of making new policies is to ensure the healthy growth of our professional leagues and keep them dynamic," said Dong.

"We are working to give our clubs healthier finances and facilitate the growth of young players. We hope to reach an agreement with our clubs and achieve the goal together. This is not like ordering our clubs to do something."