Yanbian Funde F.C. (Chinese: 延边富德; pinyin: Yánbiān Fùdé) was a Chinese football club. The team was based in Yanji, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin province where their home stadium is the Yanji Stadium that has a seating capacity of 30,000.

The club's predecessor was originally called Jilin Football Team, and they achieved one top tier domestic league title before 1994, when the club was reorganized 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 Green Town. 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, and first tier in 2015. 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 Team 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 team name to Jilin Samsung. 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 Green Town 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 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 (US$12.9 million) with the club.

On 26 February 2019, Yanbian Funde was dissolved due to owing taxes, thus ending its 64-year history.

Name history

PeriodClub NameFirst Team Name
1955–1957JilinJilin
1957–1958ChangchunChangchun
1959–1987JilinJilin
1988JilinYanji Blue Cat
1989–1992JilinYanbian University
1993JilinJilin Samsung
1994YanbianJilin Samsung
1995–1996YanbianYanbian Hyundai Motor
1997–1998YanbianYanbian Aodong
1999–2000YanbianJilin Aodong
2001–2003YanbianYanbian
2004YanbianYanbian Century
2005–2010YanbianYanbian
2011–2013Yanbian Changbai TigerYanbian Changbai Tiger
2014Yanbian ChangbaishanYanbian Quanyangquan
2015Yanbian ChangbaishanYanbian Changbaishan
2016–2018Yanbian FundeYanbian Funde

Managerial history

Honours

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

League

Results

All-time league rankings

  • As of the end of 2018 season.
YearDivPldWDLGFGAGDPtsPos.FA CupSuper CupAFCAtt./GStadium
19551104151512397–––
195616213810−2915DNE––
19571208393141−10397NH––
195812186738335434NH––
19601136341822−4424R2––
196111765622220628NH––
1962119946282801125NH––
1963116673135810215NH––
196422NH––
196511172216106161NH––
197312482143135−4427NH––
197411993726206528NH––
19761841316106951NH––
19771177372628−22218NH––
197824226610703436583NH––
1979130510151639−232015NH––
19802301210836342345NH––
198123022–8443NH––
198213013–173664−282611NH––
19831169–7191541853NH––
19841–––––––––R1––
19851151–14−15216R1DNQDNQ
1986215123212424202522DNQDNQDNQ
19872207582628−2197NHDNQDNQ
19881205781823−52215NHDNQDNQ
198934NHDNQDNQ
1990332122202423212521DNQDNQDNQ
199121759321165204DNQDNQDNQ
1992216673251966224R1DNQDNQ
19932932/131082424NHDNQDNQ
19941226792531−61910NHDNQDNQ21,818
19951226972429−5277R1DNQDNQ27,818
199612248102030−102010R1DNQDNQ25,545
199712285923230294R1DNQDNQ33,000
199812694132531−63111R1DNQDNQ27,538
19991268992740−13338R3DNQDNQ26,692Yanji People's Stadium
200012645172045−251714R2DNQDNQ12,385
200137DNQDNQDNQ
200235DNQDNQDNQ
2003313652166101913R1DNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
20043232012721557521RUDNQDNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
20052261031343412338R1DNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
2006224851128226298R1DNQDNQHailanjiang Stadium
200722496936351336NHDNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
200822484123239−7289NHDNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
20092247892930−1296NHDNQDNQHailanjiang Stadium / Yanji People's Stadium
2010224124830219403NHDNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
201122686123036−63010QFDNQDNQYanji People's Stadium
2012230104163951−123413R3DNQDNQ5,372Hailanjiang Stadium
201323097144252−1031511R2DNQDNQ4,846Hailanjiang Stadium / Tumen Stadium
201423039182945−2918166R4DNQDNQ7,992Hailanjiang 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
2018230115143436−237107R3DNQDNQ9,853Yanji Nationwide Fitness Centre Stadium

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

  • ^1 In group stage. ^2 In final group stage. ^3 In North League. *^3 ^4 Promoted to 1994 top tier. ^5 Retrospectively deducted 3 points for a match-fixing scandal in 2006. ^6 Guangdong Sunray Cave and Chengdu Tiancheng dissolved, so Yanbian could stay at second level.. *^7 Relegated for financial trouble.

Key

China top division China second division China third division China fourth division W Winners RU Runners-up 3 Third place RelegatedPld = Played W = Games won D = Games drawn L = Games lost F = Goals for A = Goals against Pts = Points Pos = Final positionDNQ = Did not qualify DNE = Did not enter NH = Not Held – = Does Not Exist R1 = Round 1 R2 = Round 2 R3 = Round 3 R4 = Round 4F = Final SF = Semi-finals QF = Quarter-finals R16 = Round of 16 Group = Group stage GS2 = Second Group stage QR1 = First Qualifying Round QR2 = Second Qualifying Round QR3 = Third Qualifying Round
China top division
China second division
China third division
China fourth division
WWinners
RURunners-up
3Third place
Relegated

Notable players

Had international caps for their respective countries.

Yanbian F.C. period

Africa Cameroon Aboubakar Oumarou The Gambia Bubacarr Trawally Ghana Daniel Quaye Guinea-Bissau Emiliano Té Mali Soumaila Coulibaly Nigeria Abdulafees Abdulsalam Rwanda Jean-Paul Eale Lutula Zaire Zola KiniambiAsia China Chi Wenyi China Chi Zhongguo China Jin Jingdao China Piao Cheng North Korea Kim Yong-jun South Korea Hwang Il-su South Korea Kim Seung-dae South Korea Ko Ki-gu South Korea Yoon Bit-garamEurope Albania Valdet Rama Hungary Richárd Guzmics

Jilin F.C. period

Africa Rwanda Claude Kalisa Senegal Cheikh Gadiaga Zaire Zola Kiniambi Zaire Bulayima MukuayanzoAsia China Cui Guangri China Gao Zhongxun China Jiang Feng China Jin Guangzhu China Li Hongjun China Xu JingxiuEurope Hungary András Telek

External links