Recently, the Japanese media Sankei Shimbun made a sharp review of Chinese soccer, pointing out that the Chinese Super League is gradually eroding the essence of a sport, and that the national soccer fan culture is on the verge of collapse.
Looking back at the first round of the 2022 Chinese Super League season last month, Shandong Taishan and Zhejiang started a collision of vision and passion in Haikou. The two teams were packed with foreign aiders, the pace of the game was tight, the coaches were waving their arms on the sidelines, the players were fighting fiercely, and every touch of the ball was full of anticipation. However, underneath this seemingly perfect surface, a certain soul seems to be missing. Despite the sparse attendance at the stadium due to the Shinkansen epidemic, an indescribable sense of emptiness permeated the stadium. Fans waving brightly colored flags in the stands, players struggling on the field, referees' whistles blaring, it seems that all the elements of a soccer game are present, but they cannot be coalesced into a powerful force. Sankei Shimbun bluntly states that the Chinese Super League has been trying to attract an international audience for years, but watching it on TV nowadays is more like an empty marketing extravaganza.
Sports superpower author Mark Dreyer notes, "The fan culture of Chinese soccer has been virtually destroyed in recent years, and the enthusiasm for the Chinese Super League no longer exists."
Why the world's largest soccer market can't ignite a passion for the game.
According to an analysis by Sankei Shimbun, the development of Chinese soccer has not been put into practice, and most of those plans for the future remain on paper. When the Chinese Super League emerged, many famous stars, such as Carlos Tevez, were brought in, but their performance in the Chinese Super League was mediocre, and they didn't even rate the league highly. Expert Wilson said, "The Chinese Super League has clearly yet to achieve its goal of becoming a successful league that makes a positive contribution to Chinese soccer as a whole."
Sankei Shimbun points out that a large amount of investment in the Chinese Super League originates from real estate companies, but when real estate woes hit, soccer clubs are also affected, with some teams even going bankrupt. Soccer culture takes decades to cultivate, it is not something that can be achieved overnight, nor can it be bought with money. The current Chinese soccer still lacks a soul, a street spirit from the heart of the fans, from the community, full of truth and passion. Expert Wilson commented, "The Chinese Super League cannot be run like a normal soccer league because it is managed by amateurs, not people who know soccer. As a result, the Super League is constantly being undermined and devalued by policies that have nothing to do with soccer."
Mark Dreyer said, "The passion for soccer still exists in China, but the current situation is not encouraging, and Chinese soccer is in a state of disarray."
