Chinese Super League 2005
Encyclopedia
The 2005 Chinese Super League season was only the second season of China
's top-tier football
competition. With no relegation the previous season, the league expanded from 12 to 14 clubs with the promotion of Shanghai Zobon and Wuhan Huanghelou. The season was scheduled to start on 5 March 2005, but was postponed until April due to a sponsorship problem and finished on 5 November with Dalian Shide, seven-time champions in the old first division, clinching their eighth title. Defending champions Shenzhen Jianlibao finished third from bottom, the second consecutive year in which the defending champions has done so.
The FA had announced at the start of the season that no teams would be relegated for this season and they kept to this decision.
Most teams had not invested enough into their squads for the season to compete for the top positions in the CSL. As the decision to cancel relegation had been announced before the start of the season, unlike the previous season where it was decided halfway through. Teams with no chance of winning the league were thus reluctant to spend money in the transfer market.
Nevertheless, there was still strong competition at the top of the table with six teams fighting for the top two AFC Champions League
spots. Dalian Shide remained at the top for almost the whole length of the season but there was a constant rotation of second place.
At the lower half of the table, Chongqing Lifan
finished at the bottom of the table for two years running while Shenyang Ginde
deteriorated to second from bottom.
and Tianjin Teda. The gap between the two clubs was tiny and neither could afford slip-ups, although Shandong Luneng Taishan and Beijing Hyundai, who were also within striking distance, were eyeing their opponents' performances closely.
Shanghai Shenhua had a late surge of form to secure second with Shandong Luneng Taishan finished third to miss the final Champions League spot by just one point while Tianjin Teda was happy enough with a fourth place.
Dalian Shide won their eighth top-tier title with a 12 points cushion although they and Shanghai Shenhua had lost the same number of games because they had managed to win 6 games more.
P = Games Played; W = Games Won; D = Games Drawn; L = Games Lost; F = Goals For; A = Goals Against; Pts = Points
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People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's top-tier football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
competition. With no relegation the previous season, the league expanded from 12 to 14 clubs with the promotion of Shanghai Zobon and Wuhan Huanghelou. The season was scheduled to start on 5 March 2005, but was postponed until April due to a sponsorship problem and finished on 5 November with Dalian Shide, seven-time champions in the old first division, clinching their eighth title. Defending champions Shenzhen Jianlibao finished third from bottom, the second consecutive year in which the defending champions has done so.
The FA had announced at the start of the season that no teams would be relegated for this season and they kept to this decision.
The season
The two-year old league provided a more positive side of football than the previous season, with much fewer drug-abusing, match-fixing and other scandals on and off the pitch. However, the season was criticised for being unexciting with some stating that the only reason that particular clubs did well was because of foreign talent.Most teams had not invested enough into their squads for the season to compete for the top positions in the CSL. As the decision to cancel relegation had been announced before the start of the season, unlike the previous season where it was decided halfway through. Teams with no chance of winning the league were thus reluctant to spend money in the transfer market.
Nevertheless, there was still strong competition at the top of the table with six teams fighting for the top two AFC Champions League
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
spots. Dalian Shide remained at the top for almost the whole length of the season but there was a constant rotation of second place.
At the lower half of the table, Chongqing Lifan
Chongqing Lifan
Chongqing Lifan, are a professional Chinese football club who currently plays in the Chinese League One division. They play their home games at the 58,680 seater Chongqing Olympic Sports Center in Chongqing and are owned by the Chongqing based Lifan Group, which manufactures motorcycles, cars and...
finished at the bottom of the table for two years running while Shenyang Ginde
Shenyang Ginde
Guangzhou R&F is a professional football club based in Guangzhou, Guangdong who play in the China League One. The club was originally founded in 1986, in Shenyang and was once named Shenyang Ginde FC where they played in the 55,000-seater Shenyang Wuilihe Stadium , until they moved to Changsha in...
deteriorated to second from bottom.
Early surprises
Among the contenders for the second spot, Wuhan Huanghelou was no doubt the surprise package. The team, promoted to the CSL the previous season, was little known to their opponents; but they started superbly, embarking on a seven match winning streak at one point, which put them hot on the heels of Dalian Shide. However, like many inexperienced sides, their composure failed in the second half of the season but they still finished a remarkable fifth.Late dash
In the second half of the season, the battle for second was mainly between Shanghai ShenhuaShanghai Shenhua
Shanghai Shenhua is a professional Chinese football club currently playing in Chinese Super League. The club is currently owned by Zhu Jun , Shanghai SVA Group, SMEG and Huangpu Investment Ltd. . The current head coach is Dražen Besek...
and Tianjin Teda. The gap between the two clubs was tiny and neither could afford slip-ups, although Shandong Luneng Taishan and Beijing Hyundai, who were also within striking distance, were eyeing their opponents' performances closely.
Shanghai Shenhua had a late surge of form to secure second with Shandong Luneng Taishan finished third to miss the final Champions League spot by just one point while Tianjin Teda was happy enough with a fourth place.
Dalian Shide won their eighth top-tier title with a 12 points cushion although they and Shanghai Shenhua had lost the same number of games because they had managed to win 6 games more.
Final league table
EWLINE
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P = Games Played; W = Games Won; D = Games Drawn; L = Games Lost; F = Goals For; A = Goals Against; Pts = Points
|}
Clubs
| Team | Average Attendance |
|---|---|
| Shandong Luneng Taishan | 26,000 |
| Beijing Guo'an | 18,923 |
| Tianjin Teda | 16,462 |
| Wuhan FC | 15,654 |
| Dalian Shide | 14,000 |
| Shanghai Shenhua Shanghai Shenhua Shanghai Shenhua is a professional Chinese football club currently playing in Chinese Super League. The club is currently owned by Zhu Jun , Shanghai SVA Group, SMEG and Huangpu Investment Ltd. . The current head coach is Dražen Besek... |
12,462 |
| Liaoning FC | 11,000 |
| Chongqing Lifan Chongqing Lifan Chongqing Lifan, are a professional Chinese football club who currently plays in the Chinese League One division. They play their home games at the 58,680 seater Chongqing Olympic Sports Center in Chongqing and are owned by the Chongqing based Lifan Group, which manufactures motorcycles, cars and... |
5,731 |
| Sichuan Guancheng Sichuan Guancheng Sichuan Guancheng was a Chinese Football Association Jia A League and Chinese Super League Club.Formed as Sichuan Quanxing in 8 November 1993, the football club was the football flagship of western China until Vanguard Huandao surfaced. In 2002, Sichuan Quanxing was sold to Dahe Group and was... |
5,477 |
| Shanghai Zobon | 4,885 |
| Qingdao Jonoon | 4,500 |
| Inter Shanghai | 4,385 |
| Shenzhen Jianlibao | 2,423 |
| Shenyang Ginde Shenyang Ginde Guangzhou R&F is a professional football club based in Guangzhou, Guangdong who play in the China League One. The club was originally founded in 1986, in Shenyang and was once named Shenyang Ginde FC where they played in the 55,000-seater Shenyang Wuilihe Stadium , until they moved to Changsha in... |
2,077 |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Branko JelićBranko Jelic Branko Jelić is a Serbian football player who last played for Australian A-League club Perth Glory.- Club career :... |
Beijing Hyundai | 21 |
| 2 |  Zou JieZou Jie Zou Jie is a Chinese football player who plays as a striker for Dalian Yiteng in the China League Two.-Club career:... |
Dalian Shide | 15 |
| 3 | Xie Hui Xie Hui (footballer) Xie Hui is a retired Chinese professional football player who currently is hired as an assistant manager for Shanghai Shenhua. He is one-eighth English; his great-grandmother was English.-Professional career:... |
Shanghai Shenhua Shanghai Shenhua Shanghai Shenhua is a professional Chinese football club currently playing in Chinese Super League. The club is currently owned by Zhu Jun , Shanghai SVA Group, SMEG and Huangpu Investment Ltd. . The current head coach is Dražen Besek... |
14 |
 Gílson Domingos Rezende AgostinhoGílson Domingos Rezende Agostinho Gílson Domingos Rezende Agostinho is a Brazilian footballer. He currently plays for Taubaté in Brazil.Gílson previously played for Wuhan Guanggu in the Chinese Super League.-References:... |
Qingdao Jonoon | 14 | |
| 4 |  Zoran Janković |
Dalian Shide | 13 |
| 5 | Yu Genwei Yu Genwei Yu Genwei is a retired Chinese football player who played his entire career for Tianjin Teda as a versatile attacking midfielder or striker... |
Tianjin Teda F.C. | 12 |
| 6 |  Ionel DănciulescuIonel Danciulescu Ionel Daniel Dănciulescu is a Romanian football player. He is currently playing as a striker for Dinamo Bucureşti... |
Shandong Luneng Shandong Luneng Shandong Luneng Taishan is a Chinese Super League football club owned by Shandong Luneng Group, the biggest supplier of electric energy in Shandong province. They play at the Shandong Stadium in Jinan, Shandong. The predecessor of Shandong Luneng Taishan was the Shandong Provincial team organised... |
10 |
| Xu Liang Xu Liang Xu Liang is a Chinese football player who currently plays for Beijing Guoan.-Club career:Xu Liang started his footballing career with Liaoning Youth team and eventually graduated to the first team squad in the 2002 league season where he made 23 appearances in his debut season... |
Liaoning Zhongyu | 10 | |
| Zheng Zhi Zheng Zhi Zheng Zhi is a Chinese professional association football player who currently plays for Guangzhou Evergrande. Starting his career as a defender, he would be moved into central midfield by his coach at Shenzhen Jianlibao and experienced immediate success there by winning the 2004 Chinese Super... |
Shandong Luneng Shandong Luneng Shandong Luneng Taishan is a Chinese Super League football club owned by Shandong Luneng Group, the biggest supplier of electric energy in Shandong province. They play at the Shandong Stadium in Jinan, Shandong. The predecessor of Shandong Luneng Taishan was the Shandong Provincial team organised... |
10 | |
See also
- Chinese Super LeagueChinese Super LeagueThe Chinese Football Association Super League , commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the Pirelli Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association football in China, operating under the auspices of the...
- Football in ChinaFootball in ChinaFootball in China consists of Association football as well as the China national football team. Football has been one of the most well supported sports in China, since it was introduced in the early 1900s. The national governing body is the Chinese Football Association...
- Chinese Football Association
- Chinese Football Association Jia LeagueChinese Football Association Jia LeagueThe China League One is the second tier professional league for Chinese football clubs. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association. Above the League One is Chinese Super League....
- Chinese Football Association Yi LeagueChinese Football Association Yi LeagueChina League Two is the third tier league of the People's Republic of China. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association. Above the League Two is the premier league - the Chinese Super League and the League One.League Two has two groups, northern and southern...
- Chinese FA CupChinese FA CupThe Chinese FA Cup is the national knockout cup competition in China organised by the Chinese Football Association. Its current format started in the 1995 season.In the new season, 2011 it was announced, that current Chinese FA Cup will start in May....