Shanghai Shenhua Suddenly Terminate Contract with Mineiro Early; Media Figures Say Red Card Incident Angered Club

On September 7 Beijing time, just three days after Mineiro received additional punishment from the China Football Association, Shanghai Shenhua suddenly announced the early termination of his contract. Some media figures analyzed that Mineiro's red card incident had caused strong dissatisfaction from the club.

That morning, Shanghai Shenhua posted an announcement on the club's official social media accounts, stating that after negotiations with the player, both sides had agreed that the club would terminate its contract with player Shao Luo Mineiro effective immediately. Shenhua also listed Mineiro's statistics after joining the team: he scored 14 goals in 34 appearances.

Relevant information showed that Mineiro's original contract with Shenhua was set to expire at the end of December. With less than four months remaining on the deal, the early termination indicated the club's attitude toward the foreign player.

Media figure Pei Li wrote on his personal social media account that Shenhua's announcement was very restrained and did not even include a word of thanks, but the club's dissatisfaction could still be felt from the statement. Media figure Miao Yuan also said Shenhua's move showed a strong stance, choosing to make Mineiro the focus of its response to supporters.

The trigger for the situation was Shenhua's elimination in last week's Chinese FA Cup quarter-final. In that match, Shenhua failed to score for a long time despite having an early numerical advantage. After coming on as a substitute while the team was behind, Mineiro lost his composure and was directly sent off with a red card for kicking Mao Weijie. After the match, Mineiro was also given a three-game suspension by the football authorities.

Mineiro's signing can be considered an unsuccessful recruitment. This season, injuries affected his availability, and he scored only two goals in nine appearances. In comparison, Azue, who returned during the summer transfer window, has already scored 11 goals. This performance was also one reason Shenhua decided to terminate his contract early.

At present, it appears that Shenhua will likely pay the wages for the final months of the contract and allow Mineiro to leave early.

However, after Mineiro's departure, Shenhua will only be able to field four foreign players in the upcoming AFC Champions League Two competition. The football authorities had provided an additional AFC-specific foreign player quota for participating clubs during the summer transfer window, but Shenhua did not use it, which also appears to reflect the team's approach toward the AFC Champions League Two.