Wuhan Tri-Town, the gold owner behind the Chinese Super League's dominant player, suddenly announced on August 28 that it was withdrawing its investment, which shook the entire soccer circle. Although Shangwen Real Estate has generously offered to transfer the club at zero price and zero debt, no buyer has yet shown up, making Wuhan Three Town's future as bleak as a candle in the wind.
And at this point, Wuhan's three towns suffered another unprecedented predicament, with fans leaving the stadium in droves.
The stat sheet reveals a worrying fact: the number of spectators at the Chinese Super League (CSL) home matches in the three towns of Wuhan has dropped drastically after the withdrawal of funds by the gold masters. The crowds at the first home game of the divestment were down 20% from the season low, and the current round of the league has again set a new record low.
However, Wuhan fans' love for soccer is not a cold streak. They finished 25th in the Chinese Super League and twice set the lowest attendance in 26 rounds of matches, but recorded their second highest attendance of the season against Urawa Red Diamonds in the first round of the AFC Champions League group stage.
Despite their poor performance at the beginning of the season, Wuhan Three Town started to find their form gradually in the middle of the season, and even the withdrawal of the gold owner did not affect the team's performance. Before the start of the final round of the Chinese Super League, they were tied with Shanghai Shenhua and Zhejiang, and only ranked fifth with a poor mutual record, still holding out hope for qualification for next season's AFC Champions League.
In addition, Wuhan Three Town's performance in the group stage of the AFC Champions League was quite bright. Facing the Japanese powerhouse Urawa Red Diamonds, the team took the lead twice with only three foreign players. Although it was eventually reversed by the opponent in extra time, this result still makes fans feel happy.
Therefore, the record low set by Wuhan Three Town for the second consecutive round of the Chinese Super League is not due to the team's own problems.
Shangwen Real Estate cleared all of the club's debts before divesting, but Wuhan Three Town's average expenditure for the season is in the millions. After the withdrawal of the gold owner, the club's income relies mainly on ticket sales, and the sharp decline in this figure has multiplied the pressure on the club's survival. Fortunately, with the assistance of the local government, the Wuhan Sports Bureau and the Football Association have sent a working group to intervene and ensure that the team is protected for next season's AFC Champions League and Chinese Super League fixtures. The survival of the Sanzhen team this season seems to be out of doubt.
Despite the government's support, the Wuhan Sanzhen team is still actively cutting expenses. Earlier this month, the team sold its central midfielder Stanchou to Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Music Damac, which not only brought the team 2.5 million euros in transfer revenue, but also saved 20-30 million yuan in annual salary expenses. Recently, the team also loaned out Wallace, an unregistered Chinese Super League (CSL) foreigner, to Karbala United of the United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Music, which saved the team's wage space, even though there was no transfer fee.
With the loss of their gold master, the Three Towns team can no longer bring in top foreigners like Stancho, and their chances of hitting the Chinese Super League title in the future are greatly reduced. This concern for the future is the main reason why the team's attendance dropped in the last two rounds of the CPL.
Last week, I was shocked when I witnessed the plummeting attendance in the three towns of Wuhan. How could the fans give up on the team so easily at this time? I voiced my opinion but was misunderstood by some Wuhan fans who thought I was questioning the Wuhan Three Town team. In fact, even though I am not from Hubei, as a Chinese fan, I sincerely hope that the Sanzhen team will be as resilient as those fans who scolded me in their private messages. Therefore, I urge Wuhan fans to continue to come to the stadium to cheer for the team during this difficult time. In the climate of Chinese soccer, it is difficult for clubs to survive on fans alone, but as the Wuhan fans' shirts say, the fans are always the backbone of the team. Only the more fans that come to the stadium, the more value the club will have in the eyes of potential owners.