The previous ten seasons of the old Chinese first division had been successful and had improved the quality of play in China.

There were many controversial events during the season including the discovery that some players were betting against their own teams and losing games deliberately.

Some referees were also suspected of fixing matches by awarding dubious penalty kicks and handing out cards freely.

The most notorious incidents happened during two matches, one game involving Beijing Hyundai and the other Dalian Shide.

Shenzhen Jianlibao, coached by Zhu Guanghu, was facing financial problems and owed its players several months of salary.