Turnaround in Chinese Super League woes: China seeks to buy Russian Premier League rights
Under the shadow of the bursting of the "gold dollar soccer" bubble, the Chinese Super League is facing unprecedented challenges. Clubs are quitting, players' wages are in arrears, sponsorship is scarce, and confidence in the Chinese Super League continues to decline. However, in a recent bombshell, it seems that China is interested in buying the rights to the Russian Super League.
In an interview, Russian Premier League chairman Araev revealed that China has made an offer to buy the rights, but the offer has not yet been accepted. Araev pointed out that the situation of the Russian Premier League is improving, and that apart from China, there are other countries that have shown interest. Although the current situation is not optimistic, compared with a year ago, there has been significant progress.
In an interview, Araev mentioned that Chinese fans are well known for their love of soccer and that they not only love the Premier League, but that Chinese players are capable of playing in the Russian Premier League as well. Although the offer to buy broadcasting rights has not yet been accepted, he sees it as an opportunity for long-term cooperation, which China is working hard to secure.
However, Araev also presented a realistic challenge: "We told them that, first of all, we don't have enough money. Secondly, how we distribute it is also important to us. At the moment Russian supermarkets are mainly broadcasting in the neighboring regions, but now other countries are gradually becoming interested in us, and we have people coming to us in Italy. They want to provide statistical data services, and another European equipment manufacturer has expressed interest in cooperation."
According to a reporter's report, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) has confirmed that the new season of the Chinese Super League (CSL) will start on March 1 next year. Although the outside world is still waiting for more specific information, but the new season of investment and operation trend has become the industry consensus. Competition among clubs is getting more and more intense, which is the foundation and guarantee for the investment and operation of the new season.
Looking back on the "Golden Dollar Era" of the Chinese Super League, the crazy cases behind the huge investment are mind-boggling. According to industry insiders, some clubs once invested 12 billion yuan in a single season to secure the league title. However, as the bubble burst, many clubs fell on hard times and even quit outright. By the 2022 season, most of the clubs' investments had dropped to between 100 million and 600 million yuan.
Entering the 2023 season, the investment of Chinese Super League clubs continues to be "de-goldenized", and it is expected that the total investment in the 2024 season will drop to less than 3 billion yuan, and may even be less than 2.5 billion yuan. In difficult times, club management and team management ability become the key.
Although the Chinese Super League is still waiting for the arrival of spring, the news of the purchase of the rights to the Russian Super League at least indicates that the market is improving. For Chinese soccer fans, patiently waiting for the new policy of the Football Association to help, continue to "survive the winter, waiting for the spring" is the only choice at present.
