Chinese professional soccer is in deep trouble now that a wave of disbandments has hit the clubs. Meanwhile, China’s authoritarian leader Xi Jinping’s ambition to use the big-money game as “soccer diplomacy” to promote China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is bankrupted. At the end of March this year, the Chinese soccerAssociation officially announced the new season’s three level leagues entry list. Jiangsu team, the defending champion of the Chinese Super League,  and three Chinese A League teams were not listed because they disbanded due to financial issues. According to mainland media, in the Chinese Second League, a wave of club foldings has spread since last year, with a total of nearly 20 teams no longer viable. The high cost of running a soccer team is hurting the development of the sport in China. Chen Xuyuan, the Chairman of the Chinese soccerAssociation, said on Dec. 14, 2020: “Chinese clubs invest three …