The long-troubled Chinese Super League seems to be leaving behind its worst days - although the shadow of the past mayhem lingers.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) will unveil a new title sponsor to the league at a much awaited press conference this afternoon in Beijing. The yet-to-be identified patron, said to have a big interest in China's IT service, reportedly has agreed to inject a minimum of Euro6 million ($56 million) for the annual naming right of the series. That will end the money drought the league has suffered since German electronics maker Siemens stopped its multi-year title sponsorship deal last January.
The mammoth CCTV, the mainland's top domestic network, has confirmed that it is again negotiating with the CFA and the Shanghai-based broadcastor Dragon TV over putting selected Super League games on its premium sports channel. CCTV, a long-time broadcaster of the old Division A league, backed off a bid for the CSL TV rights against its provincial rival two years ago, citing the 'exorbitant price'. CCTV's absence has been blamed as one of the key factors for CSL's sponsor drain last season.
The 2006 Super League season will kick off tomorrow in the northwestern city of Xi'an, Sha'anxi province, a place known for its fervent soccer fan base. Officials with International Xi'an, the local club which will play visiting Shanghai Liancheng after a grand opening ceremony at the Sha'anxi Coca Cola Stadium, expect a capacity crowd of 40,000.
But the league does not step into the new season trouble-free.
The debt-ridden Liaoning FC is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy as liquidation looms amid its 20 million yuan in liabilities. If the northeastern club collapses, the Super League will be further reduced to 14 teams following the loss of Sichuan Guancheng in January.
Sichuan kissed goodbye to the CSL after the Dalian Shide Group, which also owned the eight-time domestic champions, pulled the plug under pressure from the CFA.
