The rumors were true! According to Mirror Football, Shanghai Shenhua have offered Chelsea star Didier Drogba upwards of £300,000 (almost $465,000) per week to come play in China. That's half again the enormous contract signed with Nicolas Anelka just last month. more ›

As expected, French national and former Fulham manager Jean Tigana has signed a one-year contract to coach Shanghai Shenhua in the upcoming season. He joins fellow Frenchman and former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka. But while Anelka will make a reported $300,000 per week for his two-year contract, Tigana claims the move isn't for money, but rather a "sport and life decision." more ›

With Nicolas Anelka signed up for the upcoming Chinese Super League season, Shanghai Shenhua owner Zhu Jun is already considering poaching none other than the 34-year-old Chelsea mainstay Didier Drogba. more ›

As predicted by Wild East Football‘s sources last week, Nicolas Anelka has agreed to a two-year contract with Shanghai Shenhua, the club announced on its official website today. The 32-year-old former France international heads East after being frozen out at Chelsea, and becomes the biggest signing ever in the history of Chinese domestic football. more ›

The rumors could be true! Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka will sign for Shenhua within the next week, a source close to the club told Wild East Football yesterday. The final details of what is said to be a three-year deal worth six million UK pounds per annum ($9.3 million USD) are yet to be worked out, but the source says Anelka will soon become a Shenhua player barring any last-minute hitches. more ›

Season 2011 is now well and truly over with the CSL concluded, the CFA cup won by Tianjin, and the national team out of the World Cup qualifers, now is the time to assesess how the year went for Shanghai Shenhua. more ›

Shanghai Shenhua apparently have set their sights on signing none other than Chelsea's mercurial forward Nicolas Anelka during next January's transfer window. more ›

The Chinese national team's elation from its 4-0 thrashing of Singapore yesterday was quickly dampened by news that Iraq had edged out Jordan in Group A, dashing China's hopes of qualifying for the 2014 Brazilian World Cup. more ›

Shanghai Shenhua's coach was so enraged by the play-acting of his own midfielder that he stormed angrily onto the pitch and dragged the offending injury-faker to his feet. more ›

CCTV5, China's national sports channel, decided to cease coverage of the country's best-supported pro sports league towards the end the 2008 in response to a disorderly occurence which took place during a Beijing Guoan - Wuhan FC match. CCTV bigwigs, and presumably all those tuning in at home, were left spluttering into their teacups in disgust when a fracas broke out between Wuhan's big money signing Li Weifeng and Beijing's Lu Jiang. The on-field rumpus which ensued led to the Hubei province-based team pulling out of the CSL in protest at the CFA's decision to ban Li Weifeng for eight matches as punishment for his misdemeanours. more ›

The soccer team of an elementary school in Beijing was demolished by its Russian counterpart in a friendly match 0:15, according to Beijing Times journalist Zhang Bin. Zhang said over Sina Weibo yesterday: more ›

Outside of Hongkou Football Stadium last night, a good-old fashioned football hooligan fight involving hundreds of Shanghai Shenhua (上海申花) and Hangzhou Greentown (杭州绿城) supporters went down, and had to be dispersed with a massive turn out of police force. Argentinian Luis Salmerón of Shenhua scored a stoppage-time goal to clinch the game 3-2 for the home side, sending the crowd into a frenzy. However, the evening would end with dozens of rival football supporters on both sides receiving injuries and drawing blood. more ›

Real Madrid, currently on a two-city tour of China that includes matches against current Chinese Super League leaders Guangzhou Evergrande FC and Tianjin Teda FC, managed to fit time in their busy ball-kicking schedule to play an intense exhibition match against 109 local kids on Monday in Guangzhou. The odd number was chosen to celebrate the 109th anniversary of the preferred club of Franco the Fascist, and it looks like Ronaldo, Kaka, Marcelo and co. had their hands full keeping the randy tykes at bay, narrowly edging the kiddies out in a 2-1 victory. more ›

Finally! The Chinese men's national team did something besides indiscriminately embarrassing themselves, winning the second leg of their tie against Laos 6-1 in Vientiane last night. China previously stuck it to the Southeast Asian side in a 7-2 win five days ago in Kunming, meaning China goes through to the third round of World Cup qualification matches in the Asian Football Confederation. more ›

From Xinkuaibao via China Sports Review: Xi Jinping (习近平) who is likely to take over Hu Jintao as the next president of the People's Republic, has expressed his three wishes for Chinese football, after a meeting with Sohn Hak-kyu, South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party leader. They are namely, "China’s World Cup qualification, hosting of the World Cup and winning the World Cup." Fortunately for him, he did not say he would achieve all three goals by the end of his term. more ›

Whoda thunk it? Carson Yeung, the 51 year-old Hongkongnese owner of Birmingham City FC (who were freshly demoted from the Premier League in May), has been charged with five counts of money laundering in a Hong Kong court, having allegedly laundered over $720 million HKD ($92.5 million USD) over six years. more ›

The legendary footballer Diego Maradona has sued "The9 Limited", a Chinese online games company, for infringement. The company had used his portrait in their online game "Winning Goal" that they launched last year. Maradona claims that he was never contacted let alone asked permission and never agreed to any co-operation with The9 Limited. They, on the other hand, claim that they were cheated by a sports agent named Lu Weiping, whom they paid $250,000 for signing the former football player. An apology letter from the online game company was rejected by Maradona, as he considered it insincere and an excuse to avoid responsibility. He was quoted as saying "I do not accept the apology from The9 Limited, and I will continue to protect my legitimate interests through legal procedures". He also said that he believes that Chinese court will bring him justice. At least he didn't tell them to suck his d***... more ›

Looks like Arsenal has jumped on the preseason China tour train, alongside Liverpool and Real Madrid, who both announced preseason Asia tours last month. Arsenal announced this week that they will play three games in Asia, the first two in Malaysia and the last in Yiwu, China on July 16. Woohoo! When both Liverpool and Real scheduled games in Guangzhou (and one in Tianjin) we thought the Shanghai area was getting the shaft completely. But Yiwu is only a short train ride away! more ›

Korea's Suwon Samsung Bluewings' 3-0 victory over Shanghai Shenhua on Tuesday was at best a tepid affair, and at worst an achingly sad defeat for the several thousand Shenhua faithful in attendance at Hongkou Stadium. more ›

Cammy from Wild East Football wanted to warn all footie fans: "Shanghai Shenhua will play their next home game against Shenzhen at Shanghai Stadium on Friday night, instead of their home field, Hongkou Football Stadium. The club made the announcement yesterday on its official website, but as usual, a clear explanation for the unusual choice of venue was lacking. However it should be pointed out that neither the date nor venue of the fixture had been set at all until yesterday, again for reasons unknown." You can reach Shanghai Stadium using Metro Line 1 or 4 line. More info here. more ›

The Shaolin monks are famous worldwide for their impressive kung fu styling and recognisable yellow robes, but it seems that David Beckham and Lionel Messi had better look out. After bringing you something reminiscent of a scene from Shaolin Soccer back in July last year it seems Shaolin monks are intent on taking over the (footballing) world. more ›

A few days ago, we met up with Ed Wang, the NFL's first player of full Chinese descent in Shanghai. He is now in Beijing to promote the game there by conducting clinics in schools. more ›

Remember how at last year's World Cup in South Africa, the North Koreans didn't have any fans of their own and the Chinese had to send in a contingent masquerading as DPRK fans? Well this time, our friends don't need our help anymore! That's because the dear leader Kim Jong Il has managed to parachute in a contingent of 200 certified true-blue North Koreans to the 2011 Asian Cup qualifiers in Doha, Qatar, and he's even outfitted them with a sporty attire that is *ZOMG!* not! the! same! colour! Despite the fact that the team has already been sent packing home (to the gulags, that is), we're sure striker Jong Tae-Se (remember him?) was so touched to see the show of support that he was reduced once again to tears. more ›

Longtime Shanghaiist contributor Cammy Wilson caught an interview with Shanghai Shenhua coach Miroslav Blažević, in which he lambasted critics for complaining about the team's recently mediocre record. Uploaded onto Shenhua's website and official news channel, the video sees Blažević defending Shenhua's performance while raging against detractors. more ›

A football match between Singapore's Young Lions and Beijing Guoan turned violent as a brawl began out on the pitch and caused the rest of the game to be cancelled. Temasek Review blames the Chinese side, though it seems every other publication has left it open. more ›

Kenny Huang backs out of potential deal to buy Liverpool FC due to 'lethargic' negotiations. more ›

Could China score a goal in English football? It certainly looks that way. Liverpool locals (fondly known as ‘scousers’) are having to ‘calm down, calm down’ after hearing the latest news in English football. China could soon be taking over Liverpool Football Club. more ›

Bad news for Shanghai Shenhua from the club's owner himself! Apparently Zhu Jun, the major investor in our town's football league, went to see Paul the Psychic Octopus in Germany this week and got a bad prediction for the team. They will not win the Chinese Super League Championship this year. more ›

Shaolin monks aren't the only unlikely football fans in China - this tofu seller at a wet market in Jiangsu Province (near Shanghai) showed an amazing amount of control tossing and kicking a bag of tofu. She could give Ronaldo a run for his money! more ›

Aw, well isn't this cute? Henan province saw a real life reenactment of the movie Shaolin Soccer this weekend after several real life Shaolin monks participated in their first football match ever! Besides doing flip stunts a plenty, one of the monks even managed to puncture a ball with his kick. more ›