Chinese FA VP Zhang Jian said that the country's football authorities are "fighting to keep pace with the rapid growth of the club game in China," according to Michael Church of REUTERS. The Chinese Super League has "undergone massive growth over the last three years," with transfer fees and wages "sky-rocketing as the battle for domestic and regional supremacy has intensified among wealthy owners." Zhang said, "We're in the first stage of our professional football development and more and more money is coming into the market and that makes the league very competitive and a lot of people are watching the matches. ... We are facing some challenges. The first challenge is because of the fast improvement the clubs are making. They are developing very fast but the situation is that the CFA has only just reformed and has a new policy direction." Spending by Chinese clubs was "rampant" before new measures implemented on the eve of the summer transfer window "appeared to temporarily cool the market." The CFA has also "sought to reduce the number of foreigners clubs are allowed to field" in an attempt to "safeguard at least one place" in starting lineups for local players under the age of 23 (REUTERS, 8/2).
