The Chinese Football Championship on Saturday saw its supporters return to the stadiums for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, enough to make French coach Bruno Génésio “very, very happy”, despite the defeat of his team, Beijing Guoan.
Up to 2,000 people have been allowed to attend in Suzhou (northeast) the match between Shanghai SIPG and Beijing Guoan (2-1), two title contenders.
“I am very, very happy to have seen them again and to hear them again, they made a lot of noise even if, unfortunately, there were not many of them, but it’s nice to see them again, to hear them”, reacted Génésio, former coach of Olympique Lyonnais.
The Brazilian Oscar, who arrived in China in 2017 for 60 million euros, distinguished himself with an assist on the equalizer and by scoring the goal of the 2-1 victory for SIPG.
“I am disappointed for them that we could not reward them with a victory, we would have deserved”, regretted the coach of the Beijing club, while concluding: “it feels good to see them and hear them from again, we need them and football needs the supporters ”.
Chinese football authorities have decided to allow a limited number of spectators during certain matches, as part of a very gradual reopening.
Fans, however, must adhere to strict health rules.
Beijing and SIPG supporters, transported to the stadium by bus, had to be tested during the week and had to stand a meter away.
According to the regulations, spectators must in principle wear masks throughout the match.
The Chinese Super League was one of the first competitions to fall victim to the coronavirus. The championship, which was due to start on February 22, finally kicked off on July 25 behind closed doors.
The players of the sixteen teams are isolated in two health bubbles, one in Suzhou, near Shanghai, and the other in Dalian, in the north-east of the country and will remain so until the end of September.
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