New Year, New Hope for Chinese Football
Saturday, 21st March 2009 ~ Cameron ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
2008: An all-time low
This time last year, the Chinese football world was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The fear factor was at an all-time high--embarassing scenarios beckoned at every corner in 2008, in the shape of World Cup qualifying elimination and Olympics football tournament humiliation. So much so, that a particularly bird-brained proposal to cut the CSL 2008 season to a three-month mini tournament to allow the Olympic squad to concentrate on training was passed. Quite how denying the Olympic squad the only competitive football they would get would help their preparation was anyone's guess. But thankfully the ruling was overturned. Sadly it was not enough to prevent a dismal Olympic football showing for China, nor World Cup elimination for that matter.
Last year, on the domestic front, the withdrawal from the league of Wuhan in protest against defender Li Weifeng's (李玮峰) 8-game suspension for on-pitch fisticuffs, scandalized the competition yet again, as did CCTV's decision to take the league off-air for the last few weeks of the season in response to brawling players in the Beijing-Tianjin derby. As it turned out, it was CCTV's loss--the title race went right down the wire in the most exciting CSL finish in years.
Li Weifeng (l)
2009: The pressure is off and the sponsors are in
However, with no Olympics or World Cup to worry about in 2009, Chinese football can relax. As a matter of fact, the outlook is uncharacteristically bright for the CSL in 2009. The league is back on state television, and there is rumoured to be a TV show dedicated to questioning dodgy refereeing decisions in the offing. They'll have plenty to discuss. On the business side, major new sponsorships have been found in the shape of Pirelli, who have signed a three-year deal with the CSL. Financial details are scant but CSL chief Nan Yong said it was less than the 5 million Euros a year reported by some sources. Nevertheless, to have a multinational company sponsor the CSL is a huge boost. So is news that Nike are to provide kits for all teams for the next 10 years, pending the expiry of individual teams' existing deals with other manufacturers.
Season preview: Beijing vs. Shanghai for the title?
On the pitch, it looks like it's going to be another exciting title race with no one team an obvious favourite. China Sports Today puts its money on a fight to the death between two old rivals, Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua. Beijing have gotten one over Shanghai already by signing last year's CSL player of the year Emil Martinez--the Honduran midfielder returns to China on loan from CD Marathon to Guoan rather than Shenhua, where he spent last season. Beijing are also benefiting from a three million USD cash injection from the city government, and hopes are high that this will be the year they finally break their championship duck. Shenhua on the other hand are desperate to make for the agony of throwing away the title on the last day of the 2008 season and have made some impressive signings, including Australian international defender Mark Milligan.
Reigning champions Shandong Luneng may struggle this year after losing midfield dynamo Zhou Haibin to PSV Eindhoven. Roda Antar, a Lebanon international who spent the past eight years with Hamburg, Freiburg and Cologne in the German Bundesliga, is his replacement, but it remains to be seen if the three-times champions can win a third title in four years.
Of the other top sides, Tianjin Teda are usually a solid bet for a top five finish, but rarely if ever look like winning the title. Along with Shenhua, Shandong and Beijing, they will carry Chinese hopes in this season's Asian Champions League--in which two group games have already been played by the competing Chinese quartet.
The best of the rest
Looking elsewhere around the league, shock 2007 champions Changchun flattered to deceive last year but may mount a challenge, as might Shaanxi Baorong, who led the table for much of 2008. Fallen giants Dalian weren't far away from being relegated last year, but unless recently returned Dong Fangzhuo (董方卓) can find the scoring touch which first took him to Manchester United, it looks like another barren season for the Northeastern side. Last season's newly promoted sides Chengdu and Guangzhuo enjoyed solid first seasons and both now look like established CSL outfits.
The CSL wouldn't be complete without at least one team name change and this year Zhejiang Lucheng become Hangzhuo Lucheng. They have made a clutch of signings including Hong Kong international Ng Wai Chiu from Shanghai Shenhua, and they could be this season's dark horse.
Newly promoted is Jiangsu Shuntian who return to the top league after last competing in their inaugural season back in 1994. The Nanjing side will be amongst the relegation favourites, but in recent years newly promoted sides have fared relatively well. Fellow newbies Chongqing are back in the CSL after a two-year break, but even prior to this they were perennial strugglers.
Worth reading elsewhere on the net for a look ahead to CSL 2009 is John Duerden's in-depth preview of the new season on Goal.com, and FIFA's offical website which gives a good account of what's in store for this year's CSL.
The first game kicks off tonight when Henan Jianye take on Guangzhuo Pharmacuetical. The remaining first round fixtures all take place tomorrow.
Related: Dong Fangzhuo leaves Man U for Dalian
Li Weifeng image: Fourfourtwo.com
Tags: chinese football, csl, football, soccer