Published: 27 January, 2012
by STEVE BARNETT

The year of the dragon promises to be the best year so far for Chinese football as the beautiful game continues to shake off the shackles of corruption that once threatened to relegate the sport.

In December, supporters saw the biggest sign yet that football in East Asia is flowing in the right direction when Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka agreed a two-year deal with Shanghai Shenhua, understood to be worth a staggering £175,000 a week.

The Chinese Super League club also recruited former Fulham manager Jean Tigana as their new coach, while just failing in their attempts to partner Anelka with Chelsea team-mate Didier Drogba.

Capturing players of the calibre of Anelka – and who knows, maybe Drogba in the summer – will only act to enhance football in China, and in turn change how Chinese football is seen around the world.

Just think about the impact David Beckham had on the USA when he joined Major League Soccer side Los Angeles Galaxy.

For years, China’s professional leagues have been plagued with allegations of gambling, match-fixing and crooked referees, known as “black whistles”.

Coupled with a string of poor performances from the national side and it’s clear to see why the sport has suffered in recent years.

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) are, however, determined to clean up the game, a goal that they reiterated just last month.

Their efforts, along with more high-profile signings, will without doubt continue to bring scores of disenchanted fans flooding back into the game.

It’s a trend that is already being set with current champions Guangzhou Evergrande seeing their average crowd attendance rise from just over 19,500 in 2008 to more than 45,000 last season.

Boasting exciting and open title races that most of the top leagues in Europe would be envious of, which has seen no fewer than six teams being crowned champions since 2004, it’s easy to see why the fans are finally returning to the game.