BEIJING (Reuters) - After outspending even the English Premier League with an avalanche of cash to assemble a glittering array of foreign footballing talent, the 14th version of the Chinese Super League (CSL) finally gets underway on Friday. While Guangzhou begin their title defence with a tough home fixture against Beijing Guoan, Jiangsu's trip to Shanghai on Sunday is perhaps more representative of the new era in Chinese football. Although Tevez would seem certain to start up front, Shenhua's Uruguayan coach Gus Poyet can select only three of the five foreign players in his squad after a rule change rushed through in January. The change was a response to concerns that clubs were "burning money" in the pursuit of success and that the influx of foreign players would act to the detriment of local talent. The driving force behind the spending was the stated desire of President Xi Jinping to improve the national team and massively expand the Chinese sports market.

Source: The Star March 02, 2017 10:07 UTC