On August 28, the gold owner behind Chinese Super League powerhouse Wuhan Three Towns, Shangwen Real Estate, suddenly announced its withdrawal, listing all of the club's shares for sale at zero price.
As the defending Chinese Super League champions, Wuhan Three Town suffered a rocky start to the season, but have gradually found their form and are currently fifth on the table, sharing points with Shanghai Shenhua and Zhejiang. Despite the drop in ranking, the team still has hopes of qualifying for the Asian tournament next season. However, it seems that Wuhan fans have chosen to "let go" of the team in the midst of the turmoil over the owner's withdrawal of funds.
In the 25th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL), Wuhan Three Town welcomed Cangzhou Lions in their first home game after the withdrawal of their gold owner. Wei Shihao scored two goals and the team won 2-0. However, the stadium was empty on match day, with only 9002 fans present, setting a record for the lowest attendance of the season.
In the first 12 home games of the season, Wuhan Three Town had an average attendance of 17,687, with the lowest attendance record being 11,367 on August 27 against Nantong Zhiyun. The average attendance of this round of the Chinese Super League was 21,216, Shanghai Harbor was affected by the "repair light bulb incident", only 12,613 people attended, becoming the lowest attendance of this round of teams. Wuhan Three Town's attendance dropped significantly, down more than 20% from the previous record low.
Despite the withdrawal of the gold owner, Wuhan Three Town has not given up. The club released an elaborate investment PPT showcasing the club's philosophy, strengths, facilities and values in a bid to attract new investors.The section on fans in the PPT reads, "Three Town fans, glory and common. Hubei and Wuhan have a deep fan base with 1.2 million+ fans. Wuhan Three Towns fans characteristics: young, energetic and loyal."
While the club is trying to attract investment, it is also trying to save itself by selling foreign aid. on September 7, 30-year-old central midfielder Stanchou joined Saudi side Damac for 2.5 million euros, freeing up 20-30 million yuan of payroll space for the club.
The club had paid off all of its debt by the time the Sangwen estate left. However, according to the Sangwen owner, the team's daily signing reimbursements had reached seven figures, with an annual budget of $300 million. Stancourt's transfer fees and saved salary budget only covered the team's expenses for one month. Fortunately, the local government has lent a helping hand, and the Wuhan Sports Bureau and Football Association have sent a working group into the club to secure the team's AFC Champions League and Chinese Super League fixtures.
English League Network celebrity team Wrexham went through a similar predicament, being dumped by property developer owners and left with a £2.6 million debt. At the moment of crisis, Wrexham fans organized the Fans' Trust, retained the team and stadium, and finally welcomed a new owner after 15 years. Compared with Wrexham, Wuhan Three Town is in a much better situation. Not only did the gold owner leave no debt, he also promised to provide a training center for free. We believe that fans can contribute to the team's match day revenue by purchasing tickets. How can the fans leave with the gold owner at this critical moment? Isn't it because Chinese clubs lack the ability to make blood that the team lost its gold owner, foreign aid and no longer has the strength to win the championship?
