Beijing Guoan 90 minutes away from history first Championship
Friday, 30th October 2009 ~ Cameron ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Streets around Beijing's Workers Stadium will be crawling with green-clad fans tomorrow night--in celebration or mourning.
In a post titled "China's Top 10 Sports Stories in 2009" earlier this year, we predicted the headline "Beijing Guoan win Chinese Super League thanks to government subsidy," after the local government injected cash into the club as part of an Olympics-related boost.
And now, victory over relegation threatened Hangzhou Greentown FC will secure the Chinese Super League title for the first time since professional football was launched in the country back in 1994.
Beijing face several obstacles, however, in a thrilling four-way title race which is going right down to the wire. They are tied in total points with Henan Jianye, but have a goal difference advantage of plus five. Henan play Shenzhen away and are unlikely to make up the 5 goal differential. Changchun are a point behind and can snatch the title if both Beijing and Henan lose. Back in fourth place, Shandong mathematically still have a chance, but would have to rely on all three teams above them losing and overcoming Beijing's goal difference of plus 10. At the other end of the table, Hangzhou, who pooped Shanghai Shenhua's title party last year, must do the same to Beijing this year if they want to remain in the CSL. Shenzhen, Qingdao and Changsha are instead at risk of relegation should Hangzhou make themselves deeply unpopular in Beijing.
Beijing's match with Hangzhou is a 64,000-seat sell-out at The Workers' Stadium, and riots have been reported at some fans' failure to secure tickets. Ironic considering Chinese league games average attendance is around 16,000 in stadiums usually capable of holding many times that number.
Regardless, it's certainly a chance for Chinese football, and Beijing Guoan, to show that its domestic league is not all doom and gloom. Despite being one of the country's leading clubs, Beijing have never secured a league title; their best finishes being as runners-up in 1995 and 2007. Quite how the side has never managed to pick up a title has left Chinese football observers scratching their heads for quite some time--the team from the capital city is one of the best supported in the country and is usually there or thereabouts at the end of the season.
But tomorrow could see Beijing finally break their duck...
Tags: beijing guoan, CSL, football, gongti stadium