A horrific injury to soccer star Demba Ba has prompted calls for more professional operation of the big-spending Chinese Super League, according to soccer insiders.

"A tight schedule of the domestic league in recent months, together with a fierce but unfriendly way of playing, should be blamed for the serious injury to Demba Ba," said Xie Liang, a veteran soccer commentator at Radio Guangdong.

The Senegalese international, 31, who plays for Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, suffered a horrific broken leg in the Shanghai derby on Sunday evening, after tangling with city rival SIPG defender Sun Xiang in the second half.