It’s surely extremely rare for such an eagerly anticipated match to have such a wildly unpredicted outcome.
Last Saturday’s Shanghai Derby was billed as the biggest game in the city for over a decade, yet it must be said that often clashes which are particularly looked forward to end up being unremarkable.
However, the derby was anything but – eight yellow cards, three red cards for Shenhua, and five goals without reply for SIPG saw to that. Off the pitch, there were numerous outbreaks of fan violence, although thankfully it was mainly scuffles and schoolboy stuff, with the exception of an SIPG fan bus having it’s window smashed, and a cowardly and shameful 10-on-1 kicking of an SIPG fan by a group in Shenhua colours.
Shenhua fans called the match “government football” – somehow implying that the game was a fix. Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai, Han Zheng, is the elder brother of Han Gang, who occupies a position of influence in Shanghai International Port Group, although no-one seems able to say exactly what. However this was enough for many to believe the outcome was unduly influenced.
In China, accusations of fixing are an easy way for fans to avoid swallowing an uncomfortable result. But of course it’s unwise to point one’s fingers in such a manner without proper foundation, of which there appears little.
All that really happened was, the referee set out to stamp his authority on the game – giving out needless yellows in the opening stages and leaving himself no room for manoeuvre later on when it was actually necessary to take out his cards. Tim Cahill’s yellow is a case in point – booked for a mutual tussle with SIPG’s Sun Xiang. Either a booking for both players or neither were the only reasonable courses of action, but the Australian was the only player to have his name taken.
Lv Zheng’s tackle in the 16th minute was indeed a very badly timed challenge and deserved a straight red. Bai Jiajun, booked for nothing earlier in the game, should have been booked on the 45th minute for a rough challenge which sort of looked like a two-footed tackle, but a red was harsh. Having said that, he was on a yellow already and should have exercised more caution. With Shenhua down to 9 men, the game was over as a meaningful contest by then, long before Li Jianbin was ordered off for remonstrating ferociously out of sheer frustration with the referee in the second half.
The 5-0 victory for SIPG confirmed the club’s status as the number one team in Shanghai – for now. However off the pitch it was a different matter – SIPG’s decision to only allocate Shenhua fans 2,000 tickets, yet give 10,000 to their own employees for free, was one made out of pure fear of their own fans being outnumbered in their own stadium. Despite denying real football fans the chance to pay money for one of those 10,000 tickets to catch the game, their pathetic and contempt-worthy scheme failed. Before the game, Shenhua fans in the assigned area held mobile phone torches aloft. Seconds later, Shenhua fans located in other parts of the stadium, mostly in the stand behind the dugouts, followed suit. Well over half of the 46,500 crowd seemed to be in blue and holding a signal aloft.
Because of their greater numbers, stronger identity, and sense of history and tradition, Shenhua fans need not be too defensive about falling behind on the pitch to SIPG. Instead the blue two thirds of town would do well to face up to the real reasons behind their teams crushing defeat. No matter the referees performance – and many would say his officiating should be taken as a gold standard for other Chinese referees who often struggle to contain undisciplined players – Shenhua have simply fallen behind SIPG in the talent stakes. This close season, both clubs had a budget of around 50 million Euros for the year. Yet SIPG managed to bring in significantly better players and staff.
SIPG brought in a world-renowned coach, Sven. Shenhua signed a Frenchman who no-one had heard of. SIPG bought Sun Xiang, a vastly experienced fullback and indeed former Shenhua player. Shenhua continued their amateurish habit of not even trying to get players of the correct position by signing midfielder Zhang Lu from Henan instead of a proper right-back. SIPG signed Shi Ke, China under-22 internationalist who has also made his debut for the national team – Shenhua signed Li Jianbin, not a bad defender, but one who only ever appeared once for Guangzhou Evergrande. SIPG signed Dario Conca – a proven league-winner with Evergrande, Shenhua panicked and signed an attacking midfielder with the best heading ability in the modern game, Tim Cahill, but play him upfront and don’t have anyone who can cross. The rest of Shenhua’s purchases were of dubious quality, with the exception of two – Wang Yun, a great CSL midfielder, but he’s 32. and Zambian stopper Sunzu. Of Shenhua’s eight new signings this year, these two are the only ones to have made a clear impact on the pitch.
What is going on at Hongkou? It’s the same old issues as before, players signed for reasons outside of their suitability to meet Shenhua’s footballing requirements. So, let us not blame Francis Gillot, he has been given a squad that is even more lop-sided than before, thanks to Shenhua’s strange and peculiar transfer policy.
If the game left a bad taste in the mouth for Shenhua fans, and neutrals looking for a competitive game of football sorely disappointed, after the dust has settled, this derby was a serious shot in the arm for not only Shanghai football but Chinese football too. We can talk about it being farcical. But it’s normal for derbies to be remembered for controversy. By their very nature, proper derbies are special events because they don’t happen every weekend, or even every season in some cases. That’s why they leave such lasting impression and add colourful chapters to the rich book of football.
No-one will forget last Saturday’s game in a hurry, even Shenhua fans, no matter how much they might like to. SIPG fans were cock-a-hoop and will enjoy bragging rights for years not weeks with this game. And for Shenhua, the incredible scenes after the match which saw thousands of fans cheering the team bus as it emerge from the Stadium after the game despite the dreadful result, was a defining moment of siege mentality and solidarity between fans and squad. The players surely could not have helped but been moved by such a gesture of loyalty.
The Shanghai Derby lived up to it’s historic reputation as one of the liveliest fixtures around; a 5-0 defeat of the city’s ruling football force of two decades was a stunning outcome – what will this fixture throw up next time? The rest of Chinese football looks on with a mixture of envy and fascination.
Category: Chinese Super League, Opinion, Shanghai Shenhua, Shanghai SIPG, Top Stories
Tags: Shanghai Derby
This is a very good analysis and as someone who paid a hugely over-inflated price for a ticket I can honestly say that I got my money’s worth. I’ll never forget that game and there’s not much more you can ask for as a neutral.
Disappointing to read though that some Shenhua fans are resorting to match-fixing allegations to explain away the defeat. The section I was sitting is was dominated by ‘away’ fans and, at the time, I felt like they had a legitimate grievance because we couldn’t see Lv Zheng’s tackle clearly from where we were. That set the tone for the complaining and accusations, but if you can’t except that was a red after seeing the replays you clearly have an issue. Cahill and Bai Jiajun’s first booking’s were harsh, but Bai knew he had a yellow when he made that stupid challenge and it annoyed me when the Shenhua fans in my section applauded him off. That tackle literally cost you the game and you’re chanting his name like he’s a hero?
While the referee might have been extremely over-zealous with those two yellows, I still reckon he set a decent standard for how CSL officiating should be – i.e. don’t take shit from the players and don’t get intimidated by your surroundings. It wasn’t a perfect display, but if every ref did the same, a lot of the bullshit that blights CSL games would fade away.
Anyway, great article and we’ll see what sort of crazy price I’ll have to pay to see the return game in August.
I reckon this game could well end up being seen as a turning point of great significance. Being derby top-dog was always going to ensure Shenhua maintained their position as the senior partner in Shanghainese football, regardless of squad strength or league position. However the manner in which that dominance was shattered on Saturday evening has torn away their final trump card.
Perhaps the last shred of comfort for Shenhua is the strength of their fanbase, but if things continue as they are, I think we’re likely to see a seismic shift in that regard, at least in terms quantity if not quality. The impression I get of the average Chinese football fan is that you adopt a team that’s successful or on the cusp of becoming so; hence the startling upsurge in attendances at Shanghai Stadium this year. The sea of red every game at Tianhe would seem to confirm that impression – at any rate, I presume Guangzhou were never getting anywhere near 30k+ prior to the Evergrande take-over.
For better or for worse, I think a sustained title challenge could conjure up a hefty support base for SIPG out of practically nowhere. I wouldn’t complain…but something special would certainly be irrevocably lost in the process, as any long-term fan of Hull,Wigan, Cardiff or Swansea would tell you.
Shenhua’s fanbase has been relatively steady for the past 20 years, and despite endless embarassments and hardships for the club, over the last 3-4 years, the support shows no signs of deteriorating, indeed average crowds at Hongkou are up 50% this year.
If for some unfortunate reason SIPG were to go through what Shenhua have been through in the past few years, their support would virtually disappear. You can’t ever underestimate the importance of tradition and history when talking about fan culture of particular clubs, it’s these things which ultimately define the club, and see it through lean times. The story of Shenhua’s fanbase is really one of great triumph all things considered.
SIPG may pick up glory hunters and casual fans looking to support a winner, but as you say yourself, its really about quality not quantity. SIPG have a long way to go before they can claim to be the city’s best-loved club with the strongest support. It will take at least half a decade of sustained success and relative lack of achievement for Shenhua before much would change, anything else, like 5-0 derby defeats, is just a flash in the pan.
Change is the only constant around here, so many clubs are here today, gone tomorrow, Shenhua are survivors in one of the toughest environments for football culture development around, SIPG have only just got started.
Anyway good observations, SIPG are on the up and are definitely heading in the right direction for becoming a serious player off the pitch as well as on.