The East Stand

Chinese Super League’s top-six ambitions and star players can’t paint over cracks or craziness

Wuhan Zall game called off after pitch deemed unplayable despite attempt to paint it green to cover up problem

Ambition is to become Asia’s best league, according to CSL chairman, but it is already its most engrossing

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Brazilian striker Hulk scored for champions Shanghai SIPG in match week four. Photo: AFP

Formerly of the South China Morning Post, Jonathan White has written about sport from China for nearly 15 years, and covered the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the Fifa World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Published: 10:27am, 9 Apr 2019Updated: 12:32pm, 11 Dec 2019

“We’re number six, we’re number six.” That’s not a chant you hear because being the sixth best at anything is nothing to shout from the rooftops.

So it was odd that this was the message from Chinese Super League chairman and Chinese Football Association vice-president Li Yuyi.

Li said China’s ambition for its top flight is to have the best league in Asia and the sixth best in the world.

There was no mention of what the top six might be, of course.

The English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, the German Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1 would be a sensible assumption, all things considered, but it depends what metrics are used.

Take goals per game. The Bundesliga leads the way globally for professional leagues with 3.95 goals per game with the Hong Kong Premier League next among pro leagues with 3.69.