|
Home>News Center>Sports | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
China's Super League bleeding money
China's scandal-plagued Super League made only half the money it expected in its first year in 2004, officials said on Friday, a day after delaying the start of the new season by a month because of a lack of sponsorship.
"Total income for the league came in at only around 70 million yuan ($8.46 million), 46 percent less than the original prediction, and many sponsors said they were reducing their investments," China Football Association deputy executive director Yang Yimin said on Friday. The league has since lost its main sponsor, German conglomerate Siemens, as well as many fans. "The average match attendance last season was 11,000 spectators, down 38 percent from the previous professional season and the lowest ever," Yang said at a meeting between the CFA and the league's 14 clubs. Television viewership was also down 42 percent. Yang said the CFA would freeze relegation this season, improve scheduling, arrange more international matches, bring in foreign coaches and increase spending on youth training. China's soccer troubles extended beyond the Super League to the national team last year. They lost the Asian Cup final to Japan 3-1 last August, prompting fans in Beijing to hurl bottles, burn Japanese flags and fight police. In November, China also failed to make the final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup, leading to the termination of Dutch coach Arie Haan's contract.
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
