Sven-Goran Eriksson’s former club and ex-champions in limbo after being banned from competing in 2024
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON’S former club Shenzhen FC has disbanded.
The 30-year-old club failed to pass the Chinese Super League admission rules for the 2024 season and subsequently did not receive a license.
A club statement read: “According to the list of debt-clearing clubs announced by the Chinese Football Association, Shenzhen Football Club failed to pass the professional league’s admission for the 2024 season and cannot continue to compete in the professional football league.”
Shenzhen finished bottom of the CSL table last season and were relegated to the second tier.
The club won the league in it’s inaugural season back in 2004 but later struggled to match that success.
Ex-England boss Eriksson took charge of Shenzhen in 2016 following spells with Guangzhou R&F and Shanghai SIPG.
However, he was sacked the following June following a nine-game run without a win.
The 75-year-old shocked the world earlier this month when he revealed that he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.
He told P1: “Everyone understands that I have an illness that is not good.
“Everyone guesses it’s cancer and it is. But I have to fight as long as I can.”
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When asked about the prognosis, Eriksson said he has “maybe at best a year, at worst a little less, or at best maybe even longer”.
The former manager added: “You can’t be absolutely sure. It is better not to think about it.
“But you can trick your brain. See the positive in things, don’t wallow in adversity, because this is the biggest adversity of course, but make something good out of it.”