'Chinese Super League is the talk of East Asia'

By John Duerden

With Chinese, Japanese and South Korean teams fighting it out in the 2016 Asian Champions League and with the respective domestic leagues about to begin another season, it is a perfect time to take a look at the East Asian situation and the Chinese Super League, the J-League and the K-League Classic.

Fans have long argued as to which league is best and it is a debate that has become more complex of late.

For a long time, Japan and Korea had the ascendancy. The J-League started in 1993, inspired by the K-League that was ten years older. With major investment and some big name stars, the Land of the Rising Sun soon established itself as a rival and then, in many ways became the best in Asia.

With healthier attendances and better and more effective relations with local communities, Japan was the model for others to follow. Good football, good youth development and well-organized; there is much to admire.

Most K-League clubs neglected their local communities in comparison and most did not have the financial power of those in Japan but still there was some comfort in the fact that Korean clubs outperformed their neighbors and rivals on the field. The Asian championship has come to the Land of the Morning Calm ten times, double the total held in Japan.

For most of the team, the Chinese Super League was almost irrelevant. It was never as bad as it has often been portrayed but it lagged between the twin powers to the east. Then, as all football fans around the world have come to expect, came the money.

Starting with Guangzhou Evergrande in 2010, clubs in China started splashing the cash around. In 2013, Guangzhou took the Asian title back to the country for the first time since 1990. In 2015, the Reds did it again but by this time, other clubs were also bringing in big name foreign stars.

Such investment was unheard of in Asian terms. Chinese Super League clubs spent almost $300 million on big name Brazilian and European stars since the end of last season to shake up the entire football world. Korean and Japanese clubs are simply unable to come close to competing in financial terms.

If it wasn't already, the Chinese Super League has become the biggest in Asia and perhaps the biggest outside Europe. Its average attendance is set to break the 25,000 barrier in 2016, its broadcasting rights deals are now worth hundreds of millions of dollars, enough to make Seoul and Tokyo executives weep. It wasn't that long ago that the K-League and the Chinese league had comparable attendances. It could be this season that Korea and Japan combined may fall short of China's total.

Biggest does not mean best and which is out in front in terms of standards is debatable. China may be able to attract much better foreign players (and is not averse from shopping in the K-League) but as yet the standard of the players produced is lower in China and this gives others a chance. This may not last forever. As well as the investment in famous foreign stars, there is government money going into the grassroots that could, should, bear fruit a few years down the line.

The challenge for Japan and Korea then is not just to keep developing better and better younger players.

For now though, the battle for supremacy among East Asian leagues continues and it is a question that can't be settled but for now, China is attracting the stars, the fans and the headlines.