Huitang Stadium in the Meizhou Division of the Chinese Super League.

Image source: IC photo

  The Chinese Football Association announced at a media briefing held on the 6th that starting from the second stage, the 11th round, the Chinese Super League will resume the home and away system, which will be postponed to August.

  After many long calls, in the third year of the implementation of the competition system of the Chinese Super League, the home and away system finally returned at a slightly "unexpected" time.

As expected

  The resumption of home and away games in the Chinese Super League has long been the expectation of the Chinese football community.

  In the closed loop of the Chinese Super League, the resumption of home and away games is a topic that everyone often talks about.

The preparatory team of the Chinese Football Federation, club staff, players, media and other football practitioners have all expressed their eagerness to restore the home and away system, and the event organizers have been working hard to this end.

  On social media, fans often express their expectations for going to the stadium to watch the game, and take practical actions to support the Chinese Super League.

  For example, the opening game of the Chinese Super League between Shandong Taishan and Zhejiang team, even though it was played in the neutral site Haikou, more than 10,000 fans still poured in. Many Shandong and Zhejiang fans traveled thousands of miles to watch the game.

The opening ceremony of the 2022 Chinese Super League in the Haikou Division.

Image source: IC photo

  In the Meizhou Division, which is not open to spectators, fans of Beijing Guoan and Shenzhen Football often greet the team bus outside the stadium, even if they can only interact simply when the team bus enters and leaves the arena.

  There are so many loyal fans of Chinese football in the trough, which just proves the charm and value of this sport.

And football is an offline sport after all, and it is inseparable from the home culture.

  To be able to welcome back the home and away system after a long absence is the result of all expectations.

It's just that happiness came a little too suddenly, which is really "surprising".

The Chinese Super League will be played in an empty field.

Photo by Chinanews reporter Bian Liqun

Good for Chinese football in the trough

  Due to the lack of talent in the national football team of China, coupled with factors such as the epidemic, Chinese football is currently at a low point.

Many clubs have problems of survival. Therefore, the Chinese Football Association has issued a plan to solve the problem of club wages in batches, which is also a helpless move at a special point.

  If teams can return to their respective home grounds, if fans can re-enter stadiums, for some clubs, this may be a turning point of fortune.

  At the same time, the brand and commercial value of the Chinese Super League have been more or less discounted after more than two years of competition system.

If the tournament system continues, the situation will inevitably deteriorate further.

Chinese Super League Meizhou Division.

Photo by Chinanews reporter Bian Liqun

  It is understood that the food and accommodation costs of the teams in each division in the first stage of this season will be borne by the event organizers.

This is not a small expense, after all, it is not a long-term solution.

  Furthermore, the league is the basis for the development of football, and is of great significance in popularizing football and promoting the development of the football industry.

If the Chinese Super League fails to resume home and away games, it will not be good news for the development of the sport.

  At the pre-match press conference in the 9th round of the Meizhou Division of the Chinese Super League, a reporter from Chinanews.com also asked Yu Genwei, the coach of Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, on this topic.

He said: "The Chinese Football Association has been doing its best to promote the recovery of home and away games, which is very beneficial to fans, teams and sponsors. We hope to restore home and away games, and the feeling and atmosphere of having fans entering the stadium is completely different."

Tianjin Jinmen Tigers coach Yu Genwei.

Photo by China News Service reporter Bian Liqun

Problem to be solved

  Although the resumption of the home and away game system in the Chinese Super League has entered the stage of implementation, objectively speaking, there are many problems.

  The most decisive factor is whether the cities where the clubs are located can undertake the competition.

It is understood that before the start of this season, some cities that initially intended to host Chinese Super League games chose to give up due to changes in the epidemic situation.

In the end, it was undertaken by Haikou, Dalian and Meizhou.

  For the Dalian Division and Meizhou Division, which already have Chinese Super League teams, there will be no problems in hosting games in the subsequent stages.

The key is that the 18 teams of the Chinese Super League are distributed in 15 cities. Apart from Dalian and Meizhou, how many other cities can host games is a big question.

The training ground of the Meizhou Division of the Chinese Super League.

Photo by China News Service reporter Bian Liqun

  After a long game system, some clubs' home stadiums have been vacant for a long time.

How is the maintenance situation, and whether it still has the soft power to run the competition, this will also draw a question mark.

  Of course, under the node that the league has just announced the resumption of the home and away system, it is normal to encounter these difficulties.

It is a step to be taken sooner or later to promote the Chinese Super League to return to the home and away system.

In this regard, the organizers of the event also set a neutral position for selection.

  In any case, as the largest IP of the Chinese sports industry, this change of the Chinese Super League has both representative and practical significance.

For the current sports industry, it is undoubtedly a great blessing.