Guangzhou Evergrande fans on their feet during a match between Beijing Guoan and Guangzhou Evergrande during the first round of the 2017 CSL in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on March 5, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

High attendances will help to defy myth of disinterest

While one must be cautious in placing too much credence in tabloid media, one particularly jarring accusation for CSL fans came in 2016 when it was claimed the league routinely suffered low attendance figures.

Stadiums for this year’s opening round of fixtures boasted an average of 25,405 spectators, which is not far from the mean number cramming into La Liga grounds. Admittedly, the weekend got off to a hollow start with Guizhou Zhicheng and Liaoning Whowin playing behind closed doors, but it was the CFA’s response to Guizhou fan disorder at the end of the 2016 campaign rather than any endemic footballing apathy in Southwest China.

The notion that CSL games fail to attract fans is a falsity and the influx of world-class foreigners twinned with rising on field standards should to help maintain strong attendance figures.