The long road

Encouraging signs for the long-term future of the Chinese game in its post big-spending era, as Shanghai Port lift 2023 league title

After 12 months of the Chinese Super League being held up as a cautionary tale for Saudi Arabia not to follow, the 2023 season ended with much to be positive about. The first season free of COVID-19, lockdown and bubbles since 2019 saw supporters return to stadiums in numbers with an average attendance of close to 20,000, despite the fact that almost all the stars that headed east in the previous decade have long since departed.

Two were left and went head-to-head in the title race. Brazilian midfielder Oscar ended up winning the championship with Shanghai Port, while former Belgium international Marouane Fellaini settled for second with Shandong Taishan. There was quite an exciting climax as Shanghai, who looked to have the trophy in the bag with weeks to go, ended up stumbling over the line in the face of a late run from Shandong.

It was perhaps not a surprise that these are two big clubs who have won titles before and during the Chinese Super League’s spending spree of a few years ago. Their past spending was not fuelled – as were the likes of Guangzhou Evergrande and the majority of top tier teams – by big-spending property developer owners who then fell on hard times.