Poor ticket sales for China v Syria football friendly in Chengdu as fans stay away – ‘why spend money to feel angry?’

 Poor ticket sales for China v Syria football friendly in Chengdu as fans stay away – ‘Why spend money to feel angry?’

Disgruntled Chinese soccer fans seemingly vote to cast with their toes as tickets sell slowly after a dire 1-1 draw with Malaysia

Large portions of tickets nonetheless to be had for Tuesday’s health at the 57,000-capacity stadium in Chengdu

It appears pissed-off Chinese soccer enthusiasts were voting with their feet – and refusing to open their wallets – in advance of Tuesday night time’s worldwide pleasant in opposition to Syria.

A large number of tickets remained unsold for the sport at the Chengdu Phoenix Hill Sports Park Stadium.

The venue, which has a capacity of over fifty-seven,000, was built specifically for the AFC Asian Cup – earlier than China gave up the rights to host the tournament ultimate summer time due to its strict 0-Covid coverage, which it later abandoned in January.

There have been six levels of price ticket charges for the in shape – a hundred and eighty, 210, 280, 320, 380, and 480 yuan – but most effective those within the cheapest degree had been bought out as of Tuesday afternoon.

Fans on Chinese social media saw the humorous side, with many declaring that Chengdu – which additionally hosted the World University Games remaining month – changed into supposed to be a soccer-mad market.

 At least there might be fewer people shouting ‘refund’,” one commenter wrote on the Twitter-like platform Weibo.

“Who is willing to spend cash to feel indignant nowadays?” any other said, tongue in cheek.

The lackluster price tag sales came at the again of a terrible performance in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Malaysia, at the same venue in Chengdu.

Fans at the stadium expressed their anger after the fit, with assistant educate Zheng Zhi involved in a verbal altercation with supporters.

Another video making the rounds on social media confirmed a fan having to be helped out of the stadium by means of different supporters and a scientific workforce after being affected by breathing problems because he had been so triumphant over with anger all through the game.

Ranked No. 80 in the global, China failed to qualify for the final year’s Fifa World Cup, and has now not been to the tournament in decades.

Head educate Aleksandar Jankovic said he hoped to use Tuesday’s friendly against Syria as a hazard for redemption after the draw with Malaysia.

“After reviewing and analyzing the closing game, we began new arrangements,” the Serb said in a pre-healthy press convention. “The whole team, which includes coaches and gamers, are equipped. We desire to return to the fans with a victory. We intend to combat difficult for the fans.

Lin Liangming rescued a factor with a primary-half equalizer for the hosts, who had been bowled over via Faisal Halim’s eleventh-minute opener for the arena’s No 136-ranked aspect.

"The consequence of the excess game become now not remarkable," forward Wu Lei said.“[Tuesday] is a brand new sport and opportunity, that may deliver us new self-assurance.

“"We investigated the issues of the excess game and want to clear up the difficulties that we experienced. All of us cherish the opportunity to play for the countrywide group. We wish the sport will have an amazing result, deliver greater self-belief to the team, and convey extra happiness to the fanatics.”

Yes, I saw the news about the poor ticket sales for the China v Syria football friendly in Chengdu. As of Tuesday afternoon, only the cheapest tickets had been sold out. The other five tiers of tickets were still available.

There are a few possible reasons for the poor ticket sales. One reason is that the Chinese national team has been playing poorly in recent years. They have not qualified for the World Cup since 2002, and they have struggled in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. This has led to a decline in interest in the national team among fans.

Another reason for the poor ticket sales is the high ticket prices. The cheapest tickets cost 180 yuan (about US$28), which is a lot of money for many Chinese people. The other tickets are even more expensive. This has made it difficult for many fans to afford to attend the match.

Finally, some fans may be staying away from the match because they are angry with the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The CFA has been criticized for its handling of the national team, and some fans believe that the association is not doing enough to improve the team.

The poor ticket sales for the China v Syria match are a sign of the decline in the popularity of Chinese football. The CFA needs to take steps to improve the national team and make it more attractive to fans if it wants to reverse this trend.

Here are some of the things that the CFA can do to improve the national team:

• Hire a new coach who has a proven track record of success.
• Invest in better training facilities and equipment.
• Give more opportunities to young players.
• Promote the national team more effectively.

If the CFA takes these steps, it can help to revive interest in Chinese football and attract more fans to matches.