ANDREW CRAWFORD on why football in China is finally on the up

Nicolas Anelka meets his new fans

THE Chinese Super League (CSL) has a very strange feel to it right now. The fixture list was announced well in advance of the start of the season (a rarity within Chinese sport), season tickets were snapped up in droves and, whether on the television or in the stands, suddenly a lot of people want to watch football in the Middle Kingdom.
Last season, the CSL, now in its ninth season, saw a record number of fans come out and watch a league that was eventually won at a swaggering canter by ...