Changchun Yatai has been officially relegated to China’s second-tier football league following a dismal run of form under Portuguese coach Ricardo Soares.
The club’s fate was sealed on Sunday when Qingdao Hainiu secured a 1-0 home victory against Wuhan Three Towns. This result made it mathematically impossible for Changchun Yatai to climb out of the relegation zone with only three points left to play for in the season.
Soares’s team currently sits at the bottom of the Chinese championship table with 19 points. They have failed to win any of their last seven consecutive matches.
Meizhou Hakka, the team directly above them in the standings, is two points ahead with 21 points. Qingdao Hainiu, now safe from relegation, holds a five-point lead over Changchun Yatai.
Changchun Yatai will play their final match of the season away against Qingdao West Coast. The game will be a formality as neither team has any remaining objectives.