Saturday night’s table-topping game-of-the season between Jiangsu Sainty and Guangzhou Evergrande was remarkable in many ways, and not only for the huge 65,000 sell-out crowd or a goal after just seven seconds. The two clubs fighting it out for this year’s CSL title are operating on vastly different budgets – a fact not lost on the fans of Nanjing-based Sainty.
Guangzhou Evergrande have spent untold riches on capturing the CSL title last year and retaining it this year, splashing out millions on award-winning big names such as Dario Conca and Lucas Barrios. Jiangsu Sainty are polar opposites, carefully adding to a solid domestic squad with hitherto unknown but talented enough to succeed in China foreigners such as Cristian Dănălache. However despite the financial chasm between the clubs, Evergrande are just three points ahead of their Nanjing rivals in the CSL race.
Sainty fan group the Jiangsu Radical Ultras aka JRU decided to rub it in with a massive banner unveiled at the match (pictured above.) The numbers 10 and 38 refer to Sainty forwards Cristian Dănălache and Aleksandar Jevtić, $100 m an approximation of their wage deal and transfer fee. Below the numbers 18, 15 and 11 refer to Guangzhou’s attacking force of Lucas Barrios, Dario Conca and Muriqui, with $2,150M an approximation of their value.
Their respective goal tallies speak for themselves.
Three points:
1. LOL
2. $100m is still quite a lot of money for two players isn’t it?
3. LOL
I was thinking the same too. Is this in US$ or RMB?
I could be wrong, but my thinking on this is that its using the Chinese way of saying things (ie 1 million is 100 wan), and so its supposed to be 1 million and 21 million and thusly I believe it is in US dollars.
It’s got to be RMB. The sign said $2,150M for the three Guangzhou players. I know they’re paid a lot, but over $2billion US dollars isn’t possible.
That being said, amazing tifo JRU!
Yeah, what a waste. 2 of our 3 players mentioned have torn apart most teams in the CSL.
I’m just hoping the don’t do a similar tifo when Shenhua next come to town………………………
While I admire what Sainty have managed to do this year on limited resources, and admit I prefer the way they run their club to the way Evergrande run theirs, it’s a bit presumptuous to unfurl a crowing banner like this after you’ve taken the lead in the first minute of a must-win home game – can end up looking a bit silly.
Besides, given that Evergrande have scored more goals in the league than Sainty, maybe all this signifies is their comparative squad depth, particularly when it comes to Chinese talent, and thus ability to rotate the first team – Guangzhou just are not so reliant on their top-name foreign stars as Jiangsu.