Dalian Wanda Cinemas to broadcast Dalian Yifang’s debut match in 2018/19 CSL for free

The local newspaper of Liaoning Province, Peninsula Morning News, has reported that Dalian Wanda cinemas will stream the first match of Dalian Yifang FC in the 2018/2019 Chinese Super League (CSL) for free. 

As champions of the 2017/2018 China League One (CL), Dalian Yifang returned to the CSL and will play Shanghai SIPG in Shanghai on March 3, 2018. Recently, people had been spreading the news that Dalian Wanda cinemas would broadcast this game for free which has enthused the club’s fans. 

Reporters from Peninsula Morning News confirmed the news after contacting staff from Wanda cinemas in Dalian with the newspaper reporting that the Wanda Cinema located at Dalian Yifang Plaza will broadcast this match in one of their movie theaters while the other 16 Wanda cinemas in Dalian will screen the match in their lobbies. 

This move comes hot on the heels of the news widely acknowledged on the internet including reports from Chinese media such as thepaper.cn of a takeover bid by Dalian Wanda Group of Dalian Yifang. 

Dalian Yifang FC, is based in the city of Dalian in north China’s Liaoning province, where Wanda’s billionaire founder and chairman Wang Jianlin first started his business. A spokesperson from Dalian Wanda offered no further information on the possible purchase. 

Founded in 2009, Dalian Yifang FC is a professional football club which was first promoted to the CSL after consecutively winning the second and third division titles but was then relegated to the CL after the 2014 season and then confirmed their return to the top tier CSL for the 2018 season. 

Previously, the Dalian-based soccer club was called Dalian Wanda FC from 1994 to 2000, during which time it was run by several other Dalian-based companies, including‍‍ Wa‍‍nda.

Source: Peninsula Morning News‍‍ and ‍‍thepaper.cn

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick