Shanghai Shenhua Terminate Mineiro Contract, Sparking Debate Over Foreign Player Investment

Sent off on September 1, punished by the football association on September 4, and officially separated on September 7.

Six days.

A Brazilian forward bought for nearly 1 million US dollars was gone just like that.

Even more striking was Shenhua's announcement, which had only three sentences: contract terminated by mutual agreement, 34 appearances and 14 goals, wishing him all the best.

There was no "thank you".

No "contribution".

Even "best wishes for the future" was reduced to the most official four characters.

You should know that when Chinese Super League clubs send away foreign players, even underperforming ones, the usual practice is to add a polite line thanking them for their efforts.

This time, Shenhua did not give even one word.

Media figure Pei Li said after reading it: the announcement was restrained, only listing 34 appearances and 14 goals, with no words of thanks. From the announcement, one can feel the anger of the management. Formality was left on paper, while the attitude was clear without words.

Refusing to write even one word of thanks looks worse than a three-match suspension.

But the question is—does one red card really justify termination?

First, let's clarify those 20 minutes.

On September 1, in the FA Cup quarterfinals, Shenhua played away against Dalian Yingbo, who were still a China League One team.

Soon after kickoff, Yingbo goalkeeper Huang Zihao was sent off with a red card.

Shenhua had 11 against 10 and played more than 70 minutes with an extra man.

The score was 0-1 at the time, and coach Milojavic brought Mineiro on, hoping to use his speed.

In the 74th minute, Mineiro pushed Mao Weijie down from behind while the ball was away and raised his foot to hit his leg.

VAR intervened and referee Ren Tong showed a straight red card.

After 20 minutes as a substitute, he sent himself off.

The numerical advantage disappeared, Shenhua lost 0-1, exited the FA Cup quarterfinals, and their final competition front of the season ended.

On September 4, the Football Association disciplinary committee issued a penalty: a violent conduct ruling under Articles 53 and 110 of the disciplinary regulations, a three-match suspension and a 15,000 yuan fine.

Because Shenhua had already exited the FA Cup, the automatic red-card suspension was cleared, and the additional three-match ban would be served in the CSL.

There were only five league rounds left at that time.

Before the suspension even started, the termination announcement came first.

Now calculating the cost reveals the most painful part.

In January 2025, Shenhua signed Mineiro from Brazil's Ceara for a transfer fee of 950,000 US dollars, about 920,000 euros, on a two-year contract until December 31, 2026.

In the first half after joining, he was genuinely good.

In the first 14 CSL matches of 2025, he scored 8 goals and provided 5 assists, becoming one of the team's most reliable scorers.

Against Vissel Kobe in the AFC Champions League, he scored a header after 1 minute and 10 seconds and later completed a hat-trick.

At that time, Shenhua fans felt the money was well spent.

The turning point came in June 2025 away against Shenzhen Peng City.

His right rectus femoris tendon ruptured, ending his season.

He remained sidelined until the end of the year.

After returning in 2026, he suffered two more muscle injuries, with the second keeping him out for around three months.

In this CSL season, he played only 8 matches, started twice and scored 2 goals, one from a penalty, averaging about 29 minutes per appearance.

Across two years, he made 34 appearances in all competitions with 14 goals and 6 assists, with more than half his goals coming in 2025.

Miao Yuan calculated directly: bought for 1 million dollars, played less than two years, 34 appearances, 14 goals and 6 assists, excellent for half a year but spending more time injured and ineffective; with termination compensation added, the overall value was poor.

This does not include annual salaries at the million-euro level, the foreign-player registration slot and AFC registration slot he occupied, plus additional termination compensation.

Another point that angered fans was that during his injury period he posted travel and restaurant photos on social media and was seen by fans eating ice cream and chips.

He received foreign-player wages, produced substitute-level numbers, and lived more comfortably than anyone.

This frustration had been building for more than a day or two.

Blogger Matias215 revealed another angle: with only four league matches left, a foreign player's contract expiring at year-end and a three-match suspension made keeping him meaningless. There had also been reports that his former club wanted him to join as a free agent after the contract ended, or even earlier. The red card and added suspension became the best excuse.

Translated, it means: they wanted to send him away long ago, and the red card was the most acceptable exit.

Media figure Zhu Yi also said this was an unexpected development after the punishment, since he had apparently already been registered for the AFC Champions League Two.

The registration was submitted, but the player was gone.

For Shenhua's September 17 home AFC Champions League Two opener against Tampines Rovers, the original five-foreign-player setup now has only Asue, Latong, Teixeira and Manafa.

The club would rather enter continental competition with one fewer foreign player than take any more risks with him.

Feng Zhen's view was simple: this also gives fans an explanation from the management.

But if you think blaming Mineiro ends the matter, that would be too easy for some people.

Reporter Li Xuan said more sharply: Shenhua terminating with Mineiro finally allows fans to see some action from the club instead of an attitude of indifference. However, most Shenhua fans likely feel this is far from only Mineiro's fault; those who need to summarize, reflect and take responsibility are more than just him.

Look at the money Shenhua spent on foreign players over the past two years.

In the 2026 winter window, they signed Latong for 2 million euros as their record signing and bought striker Guy from Blackburn for 1.1 million euros.

Guy scored 5 goals and made 2 assists in his first 7 games, but then suffered an Achilles rupture and missed the season.

Among six foreign-player slots, four were forwards, with no specialist defensive midfielder and no traditional center forward.

The contracts of Teixeira, Manafa and Mineiro all run until December 31, 2026.

At the start of the season, Shenhua were deducted 10 league points by the association, dropping directly from the title race into the relegation battle.

On August 2, after losing 1-3 at home to Liaoning Tieren for a third consecutive defeat, coach Slutsky resigned immediately, leaving the line: "There are some things I cannot change."

After Milojavic took over, his first four official matches ended with one win, three losses and 11 goals conceded.

In the AFC Champions League Elite, Shenhua had 1 win, 1 draw and 6 losses with 4 points, second from bottom in the East zone, eliminated one round early, and lost 0-2 at home to Machida Zelvia.

After 25 rounds, Shenhua ranked 13th, only four points above the relegation zone.

Is this the fault of one foreign player?

Some media called this kind of operation "traffic-oriented recruitment"—decision-making shifted from whether a player could perform to whether he could generate attention.

Before Mineiro was officially announced, fans had already uncovered his background: he scored around ten goals in his final season in Brazil's Serie B before the transfer, six from penalties; he had heart surgery, an Achilles rupture history, two years in Japan and long-term injury problems.

The club said it had sent scouts to track him for half a year and that he passed data models and evaluations from experienced European figures.

Half a year of tracking produced a forward who spent most of two years injured.

Where are the people who made the decision now?

Some media figures said directly: the recruitment decision was a complete failure, yet the relevant people have still not taken responsibility.

Mineiro left, but the people who signed him remain.

Interestingly, on the night before the termination announcement, Shenhua won 3-1 away against Chongqing Tongliang Dragon.

In that match, Milojavic moved Manafa back to right-back after he had played two consecutive games at left-back.

In the eighth minute, Manafa sent a long overhead pass from the back to Gao Tianyi, who cut the ball back, and Asue scored with a low shot.

In the 11th minute, Manafa broke down the right and crossed, Asue's shot was blocked, Gao Tianyi laid it back, and Wu Xi followed with a low shot that deflected in off a teammate.

In the 86th minute, Manafa crossed and Yang Haoyu headed home to seal the win.

All three goals were related to Manafa returning to his familiar position.

Gao Tianyi provided two assists alone, bringing his season goal involvements to 11, a career high in the CSL.

Without the forward occupying a foreign-player slot, domestic players actually gained more involvement.

Gan Hui's judgment was direct: looking at Mineiro's performance since joining early last year, he failed to provide what a foreign player should, so early termination was not surprising.

Next for Shenhua is the September 17 home match against Tampines Rovers.

Wu Xi, Zhu Chenjie and Yang Haoyu must report to the Asian Games team and will definitely miss the match.

One fewer foreign player, three fewer key domestic players.

In the FA Cup match they exited, they failed to score despite having an extra player for more than 70 minutes; the foreign player released after two years scored 14 goals in 34 appearances.

The specific numbers on the pitch are all laid out here, and no one can avoid them.

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