BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Cangzhou Mighty Lions announced on Monday that it has regretfully accepted the decision of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) to deny its entry into the Chinese professional leagues for next season.

The Cangzhou side is the only Chinese Super League club that has been excluded from the list the CFA issued on Monday.

"Our club has been left out of the list of professional clubs eligible for the 2025 season, meaning we cannot continue our campaign to play in the Chinese professional leagues," the Cangzhou club said in a statement.

The Cangzhou side says it has tried every means to navigate the difficult financial situation it faced in order to gain the CFA's approval, but in vain.

"Over the past several months, the club has worked hard to deal with the debt and the unpaid salary issues, but unfortunately we still failed to pass the assessment for the new season's entry into the professional leagues," Cangzhou Mighty Lions said in its statement.

"Though with huge regret, we accept the fact calmly," the statement added.

In the 2024 season of the 16-team Chinese Super League, the Cangzhou Mighty Lions finished 13th with 29 points. ■