Reported by Chen Yong On the evening of July 19, during the 17th round of the Chinese Super League, the match between Dalian Yifang and Shandong Taishan achieved a new record with 61,588 fans, making it the second highest attendance in the league's history. However, shortly thereafter, the match between Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua saw an attendance of 62,291, breaking the previous record. This round of the Super League recorded a total attendance of 244,693, making it the third highest single round attendance in league history, while the 10th round of this season saw an even higher attendance of 257,724, which is the second highest ever recorded in a single round.

The vibrant atmosphere of the Chinese Super League remains crucial, as maintaining match conduct and discipline is essential for the stable growth of fan attendance. At the same time, the management of fan behavior has become a point of focus for all parties involved.

Chinese Football Association: Positive data, four key phenomena to monitor

On July 16, the Chinese Football Association held a mid-season summary meeting and a warning education conference on match conduct and discipline for the 2025 season of the Chinese Professional Football League in Beijing. Approximately 2,000 participants, including member associations from various leagues, staff from 52 professional clubs, as well as players and coaches from first teams, attended via video conference.

In the 2025 season, under the guidance of the General Administration of Sport, the Chinese Super League has set goals of being "fairer, cleaner, safer, smoother, and more orderly." Additionally, the Chinese Football Association has established a Discipline and Ethics Committee to effectively manage and transition the handling of violations and misconduct in the professional league.

Lu Xiaolan, Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the Chinese Football Association, reported on the disciplinary actions and typical cases from the first half of the season. As of the meeting, the committee had held 32 meetings and issued 55 disciplinary decisions. Lu highlighted four prevalent types of violations: (1) on-field violence; (2) inappropriate behavior towards match officials; (3) failure to adhere to official match procedures and delays; (4) issues related to match order management. Statistics show a significant decrease in violations in the China League One and League Two, with a 53% reduction in League One.

Vice Chairman Yang Xu introduced positive changes in data: a total of 395 goals were scored in the first 16 rounds of the Super League, an increase compared to the previous year. The number of yellow cards was 529 and red cards 28, both showing a decrease from last year. The average net playing time was 53 minutes and 13 seconds, with an average high-intensity running distance of 17,992 meters. The total attendance for the first 16 rounds reached 3,116,544, averaging 24,348 per match, which is a 25.16% increase from last year. Including the third highest attendance in history for the 17th round, the increase is even more significant. In youth training, the number of players in China's youth elite league has risen to 2,003, an increase of about 12% from last year. The U21 league saw 265 matches, a 47% increase from the previous season, and the U17 league's participating teams grew to 31, setting a new record.

Li Kemin, Chairman of the Chinese Football Association, emphasized that the construction of conduct is the lifeline and bottom line of football. The association will focus on this aspect, leading clubs to create a healthy ecosystem for the development of the professional league; it will persist in systematic rectification and long-term governance, advancing anti-corruption efforts and addressing issues related to "match-fixing and gambling"; and it will maintain a consistent effort to promote good match conduct and discipline as a norm.

Fan culture: a stunning rise, yet concerning conflicts

In the match between Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua, Guoan fans attempted a full-stand Tifo display, featuring the character Nezha in the north stand, the words "Beijing City" in the east stand, and the image of the Deshengmen Arrow Tower in the west stand. This full-stand Tifo concept is said to have originated from Beijing's old nickname—Eight-Armed Nezha City, which comes from a folk tale.

Such a powerful display from the stands genuinely reflects the development and progress of Chinese fan culture. However, at the same time, discordant voices occasionally arise. In the match between Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Chengdu Rongcheng, some fans insulted Wei Shihao's family, leading to a series of negative reactions.

On July 20, the Chinese Football Association issued a statement: "Recently, during a match in the Super League, some fans directed baseless insults at professional players and their families, severely tarnishing football civility and disrupting the order of the professional league, causing extremely adverse social impacts. Any insults directed at players and their families are a desecration of the spirit of football, completely deviating from the essence of football culture. The Chinese Football Association firmly opposes and strongly condemns this behavior. Such phenomena, if allowed to spread, directly impact the healthy development of the professional league and will ultimately harm the fundamental interests of professional football personnel and the majority of fans."

In related measures, the Chinese Football Association mentioned it will "jointly work with relevant departments" to fully resist and combat all provocations, insults, defamation, incitement to division, instigation of fights, and other behaviors both inside and outside the stadium. It also stated: "The Chinese Football Association will further improve relevant measures to better maintain order and the environment of the league."

Currently, the Binhai Branch of the Tianjin Public Security Bureau has administratively detained a fan leader named Jiang for seven days and prohibited him from attending matches. The Tianjin competition area received a notice of criticism, and the "Tiger Wing Support Group" fan club of Tianjin Jinmen Tiger has been banned from attending one match in the corresponding south stand areas D110 and D111.

In fact, incidents related to fans have always been a high-risk area in Chinese professional leagues. A clear pattern emerges: when the police take strong action and publicize it, incidents of fan violations decrease rapidly. However, when there is a prolonged period without judicial punishment, violations tend to rise sharply. Reports indicate that many judicial cases related to fans from last year to this year have not been disclosed publicly, including administrative detention and even criminal detention.

Considering the order inside and outside the stadium and for the healthy development of Chinese professional football, judicial oversight of fans needs to be not only regularized but also made transparent, meaning prompt intervention, lawful handling, and full disclosure. Only then can we truly deter all illegal and irregular behaviors inside and outside the stadium.