Yanbian Funde F.C.


Yanbian Funde F.C. was a Chinese football club. The team was based in Yanji, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin province where their home stadium is the Yanji Nationwide Fitness Centre Stadium that has a seating capacity of 30,000.
The club's predecessor was originally called Jilin FC and they achieved one top tier domestic league title before 1994, when the club was reorganised to become a completely professional football unit. At the end of the 2000 league campaign, the club was relegated from the top tier of Chinese football, however, the club faced financial difficulties and sold the first team as well as the franchise to Zhejiang Greentown. After the sale, the club assembled the reserve team and joined the third tier before they eventually gained promotion to the second tier in 2004. It was dissolved just before the 2019 season due to owing taxes.

History

In 1955 the local Jilin government sports body would form Jilin football club to take part in the recently expanded Chinese football league and built a team composed mostly of Koreans, taken from the large local Korean population. After predominantly establishing themselves as a top tier side the club achieved their first piece of silverware when they went on to win the 1965 league title. The Chinese Cultural Revolution unfortunately saw football in China halted and Jilin were unable to immediately defend their title until football returned in the 1973 league season where they finished seventh. The following seasons would see the club struggle within the league and spend several short spells within the second tier until at the end of the 1988 league season saw the Chinese Football Association restructure the league, which not only saw the club relegated but to the third tier.
After a brief period within the third tier the club would have a resurgence and win the 1990 division title as well as promotion back into the top division after coming second within the 1992 second tier and a guaranteed spot in China's first fully professional 1994 Chinese Jia-A League season. To conform to full professionalism they were allowed to be sponsored by Samsung and changed their name to Jilin Samsung Football Club. The club's foray into professionalism would see them gradually establish themselves within the division under the management of Li Huen. With a foundation to build on former South Korean Head coach Choi Eun-taek was brought into the team at the beginning of the 1997 league season and he immediately guided them to become title contenders with a fourth-place finish at the end of the season. Unfortunately the team were unable to build upon their previous season's results and Choi Eun-taek left the club, which saw Gao Hui take over the team until the club experienced relegation in 2000. The demotion was taken exceptionally hard and the club had to sell their Chinese FA registration and entire first-team to Zhejiang Lücheng for 25 million Yuan. The following 2001 league campaign saw the club start at the bottom of the Chinese pyramid in the third tier with a team assembled from their former reserve squad. After taking time to gell the team would eventually come second within the 2004 season and win promotion into the second tier.
On 18 February 2013, the Chinese FA issued the club with a three-point deduction and a fine of CNY500,000 for accepting a bribe from Guangzhou Pharmaceutical F.C. to lose their 3 June 2006 eleventh round league game. The club's officials would attempt to appeal the decision, but failed after the game in question had already seen Guangzhou fined and relegated for their involvement three years earlier in China's long-running battle against match-fixing. The club's manager at the time Gao Hui was already found to be guilty of facilitating the match-fixing and was given a three-year prison sentence on 18 February 2012.
Yanbian Changbai Tiger changed their name to Yanbian Changbaishan on 8 February 2014. On the field the club struggled throughout the whole of the 2014 league season and finished 16th within the league, in the relegation zone. On 31 January 2015 second tier club Shaanxi Wuzhou unexpectedly failed to register for the 2015 league season due to wage arrears and was dissolved as a football club, which allowed Yanbian to remain within the division. With this reprieve insurance company Funde Holdings became interested in sponsoring the team and on 26 June 2015 signed a four-year sponsorship deal worth CNY80 million with the club.
On 26 February 2019, Yanbian Funde was dissolved due to owing taxes, thus ending its 64-year history.

Name history

Managerial history

All-time honours list including semi-professional Jilin FC period.

League

All-time league rankings
YearDivPtsPos.FA CupSuper CupAFCAtt./GStadium
19551104151512397 – – –
195616213810−295DNE – –
19571208393141−10397 – –
195812186738335434 – –
19601136341822−444R2 – –
19611176562222068 – –
196211994628280115 – –
196311667313581015 – –
196422 – –
196511172216106161 – –
197312482143135−447 – –
19741199372620658 – –
1976184131610695 – –
19771177372628−2218 – –
197824226610703436583 – –
1979130510151639−232015 – –
19802301210836342345 – –
198123022 –8443 – –
198213013 –173664−282611 – –
19831169 –719154185 – –
19841 – – – – – – – – –R1 – –
19851151 –14−15216R1DNQDNQ
198621513144052DNQDNQDNQ
19872207582628−2197DNQDNQ
19881205781823−52215DNQDNQ
198934DNQDNQ
19903312043151DNQDNQDNQ
199121759321165204DNQDNQDNQ
19922166732519662R1DNQDNQ
19932932/13108244DNQDNQ
19941226792531−61910DNQDNQ21,818
19951226972429−5277R1DNQDNQ27,818
199612248102030−102010R1DNQDNQ25,545
199712285923230294R1DNQDNQ33,000
199812694132531−63111R1DNQDNQ27,538
19991268992740−13338R3DNQDNQ26,692Yanji People's Stadium
200012645172045−251714R2DNQDNQ12,385
200137DNQDNQDNQ
200235DNQDNQDNQ
200331365216610193R1DNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
2004323201272155752RUDNQDNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
20052261031343412338R1DNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
2006224851128226298R1DNQDNQHailanjiang Stadium
200722496936351336DNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
200822484123239−7289DNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
20092247892930−1296DNQDNQHailanjiang Stadium / Yanji People's Stadium
2010224124830219403DNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
201122686123036−63010QFDNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
2012230104163951−123413R3DNQDNQ5,372Hailanjiang Stadium
201323097144252−103111R2DNQDNQ4,846Hailanjiang Stadium / Tumen Stadium
201423039182945−291816R4DNQDNQ7,992Hailanjiang Stadium / Yanji Nationwide Fitness Centre Stadium
201523017103592435611R3DNQDNQ24,491Yanji Nationwide Fitness Centre Stadium
2016130107133941−2379R3DNQDNQ19,305Yanji Nationwide Fitness Centre Stadium
201713057183264−322215R3DNQDNQ18,058Yanji Nationwide Fitness Centre Stadium
2018230115143436−23710R3DNQDNQ9,853Yanji Nationwide Fitness Centre Stadium

No league games in 1959, 1966–72, 1975; Jilin didn't compete in 1984
Key


Had international caps for their respective countries.
;Yanbian F.C. period
Africa
Asia
Europe
;Jilin F.C. period
Africa
Asia
Europe