| Season | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Champions | |
| Relegated | |
| AFC Champions League | |
| A3 Champions Cup | |
| Matches played | 210 |
| Goals scored | 546 (2.6 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Li Yi Kwame Ayew Saúl Martínez (14 goals each) |
| Average attendance | 17,710 |
← 2002 | |
The 2003 Chinese Jia-A League season was the tenth season of professional association football and the 42nd top-tier overall league season in China. The league started on March 15 and ended on November 30, while in preparation for the rebranded Chinese Super League three teams were relegated at the end of the season.
Shanghai Shenhua finished as champions. However, they were later retrospectively stripped of the title on 19 February 2013 for match-fixing. [1] Runners-up Shanghai International were also surrounded in their own match-fixing controversy, which saw several of their players taking bribes. [2] Despite the club itself not being implicated in these crimes the season's title was not awarded to any club.
The 2003 Chinese Jia-A League season was the last season before it was rebranded as the Chinese Super League by the Chinese Football Association and had 15 teams, with one team provided a bye for each round. Three teams were relegated at the end of the season. However, relegation was based on an averaging system using the last seasons and this season's final position.
At the end of the season, Shanghai Shenhua narrowly won the championship against their local neighbours Shanghai International. Critics would dispute the legitimacy of the title win after it was discovered in 2011 that the Shenhua general manager Lou Shifang bribed the head of the Chinese Football Association referee arrangements Zhang Jianqiang and referee Lu Jun 350,000 yuan each to be bias towards Shenhua in a vital match against Shanghai International in a game that Shenhua won 4–1. [3] While all three men were officially charged with match-fixing, the club was spared any disciplinary action and were allowed to keep the title with the reason provided by the Chinese football association for the leniency being that they would be punishing the individuals who put the game in disrepute and not the club, because Lou Shifang was Shenhua's offending participant and had left the club several years before the allegations were confirmed it would have been harsh to punish the club retrospectively. [4] On 18 February 2013, The CFA decided to change its mind on Shenhua and retrospectively decided to punish the club by revoking its 2003 league title, fining the club 1 million yuan and giving a 6-point deduction at the beginning of the 2013 Chinese Super League season after it was discovered that they also fixed another game against Shaanxi Guoli en route to winning the 2003 league title. [5] [6] Shanghai International, however, were not retrospectively awarded the title after it was officially confirmed on June 13, 2012, that the Shanghai International players Shen Si, Qi Hong, Jiang Jin and Li Ming took a bribe from former Tianjin TEDA general manager Yang Yifeng to lose their November 30, 2003 game, which saw all offending participants fined and jailed for their crimes as well as the Chinese FA deciding that Tianjin should also face a 1 million Yuan and 6-point deduction at the beginning of the 2013 Chinese Super League season. [7]
Also within the season, Chongqing Lifan were relegated at the end of the campaign. However, they were allowed to remain within the division for next season when they bought Yunnan Hongta's registration and merged the two clubs together. [8] This season also saw the loss of August 1st football club who were relegated and decided to disband at the end of the season. The club who were the sport branch of the People's Liberation Army had been in existence for over fifty years and were one of the most successful clubs in Chinese history during the amateur era. However, because all the players had to be active military members and paid accordingly made it impossible for them to compete with the other clubs who were now also paying professional wages to their players, which also saw the club struggle within the professional era and lead to the clubs disbandment. [9]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 56 | 33 | +23 | 55 | 2004 AFC Champions League qualification | |
| 2 | Shanghai International | 28 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 39 | 26 | +13 | 54 | 2004 A3 Champions Cup qualification |
| 3 | Dalian Shide [b] | 28 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 44 | 22 | +22 | 53 | 2004 AFC Champions League qualification |
| 4 | Shenzhen Jianlibao | 28 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 42 | 21 | +21 | 47 | |
| 5 | Shenyang Ginde | 28 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 35 | 31 | +4 | 43 | |
| 6 | Liaoning Zhongshun | 28 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 39 | 34 | +5 | 41 | |
| 7 | Yunnan Hongta | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 30 | 27 | +3 | 40 | |
| 8 | Sichuan Guancheng | 28 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 41 | 42 | −1 | 37 | |
| 9 | Beijing Hyundai Cars | 28 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 34 | 26 | +8 | 36 | |
| 10 | Tianjin Kangshifu | 28 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 32 | 33 | −1 | 36 | |
| 11 | Qingdao Beilaite | 28 | 10 | 5 | 13 | 40 | 50 | −10 | 35 | |
| 12 | Shandong Luneng | 28 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 42 | 46 | −4 | 33 | |
| 13 | Chongqing Lifan [c] | 28 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 21 | 34 | −13 | 26 | Relegated to Jia League |
| 14 | August 1st | 28 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 23 | 59 | −36 | 22 | |
| 15 | Shaanxi Guoli | 28 | 3 | 5 | 20 | 28 | 62 | −34 | 14 |
Chinese Super League qualification was based on the average positioning of the teams from the 2002 and 2003 league standings.
(Based on Positions in 2002 (x 0.5) and 2003 (x 1))
Source: [10]
Player of the year (Golden Ball Award)
Jörg Albertz (Shanghai Shenhua)Top scorer (Golden Boot Award)
Li Yi (Shenzhen Jianlibao)
Kwame Ayew (Changsha Ginde)
Saul Martínez (Shanghai Shenhua)Manager of the year
Wu Jingui (Shanghai Shenhua)Youth player of the year
Liu Jindong (Shandong Luneng)CFA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper: Jiang Jin (Shanghai International)
Defenders: Xu Yunlong (Beijing Guoan), Du Wei (Dalian Shide), Li Weifeng (Shenzhen Jianlibao), 
Adilson (Dalian Shide)
Midfield: Zheng Zhi (Shenzhen Jianlibao), Zhao Junzhe (Liaoning Zhongshun), Jörg Albertz (Shanghai Shenhua), Shen Si (Shanghai International)
Attack: Saul Martínez (Shanghai Shenhua), Li Yi (Shenzhen Jianlibao),
