Chinese table tennis star Fan Zhendong’s debut at German club spikes interest, ticket sales
Borussia Dusseldorf’s home matches moved to larger venues to accommodate large demand, including from China, to watch Olympic champion play
A new upsurge of support for table tennis superstar Fan Zhendong has swept through the internet almost two months before his first home match for new team Borussia Dusseldorf, with a German tourism agency inviting Chinese fans to watch him play live.
Former world No 1 Fan became an official player for the 33-time Bundesliga champions on Wednesday, though team sources told the South China Morning Post the Paris Olympic champion will be with the team only from next month.
That did not stop the fans from snapping up tickets for the team’s first home match against TSV Bad Konigshofen on August 22, a fixture that has been moved to the bigger Mitsubishi Electric Hall, with its more than 4,000 seats.
Dusseldorf’s arena can host only 1,100 spectators and will not be staging all their home matches.
Tickets ranging from the cheapest at €24 (US$27.33) to the second-most-expensive VIP2 category at €175 are still available on ticketing websites. About half of the seats at the Mitsubishi Hall have been sold, with the most expensive VIP1 tickets, which cost €190 each, sold out.
Dusseldorf, who finished second to Fan’s former team, 1. FC Saarbrucken, in the league last season, also confirmed Fan would feature in the team’s first three home matches, allaying fans’ concerns before purchasing tickets.