The arrival of table tennis superstar Fan Zhendong at 1. FC Saarbrücken has unleashed an unprecedented frenzy, with all tickets for the upcoming season selling out within a remarkable 24 hours. The rapid sell-off has not only stunned the German club but also sparked widespread praise from Chinese fans, who are marvelling at the remarkably low prices compared to domestic events.
- FC Saarbrücken, a Bundesliga side, had initially anticipated that season ticket sales would take several weeks. Instead, the “Fan Zhendong effect” saw them snapped up in a single day, an “unprecedented” surge in demand that German media has widely reported.
Tickets, ranging from €100 (approximately US$115.25) to €800, offer access to all of Saarbrücken’s home matches across the Table Tennis Bundesliga, German Cup, and Champions League. This comprehensive offering at what fans consider an exceptional price point has resonated deeply with mainland Chinese enthusiasts.
“€800 for a VIP pass with the best seats and access from August to June… the price is too good,” one social media user exclaimed. Another echoed the sentiment, noting, “Roughly 6,000 Yuan for the whole season, it’s such a good deal.”
The stark contrast with ticket prices for World Table Tennis (WTT) events in China has been a recurring theme in online discussions. “It’s over 1,000 Yuan (US$140) for one WTT ticket [in China],” a user highlighted, adding, “You couldn’t be spending anything less than 10,000 Yuan for one full competition.” This comparison led to pointed remarks about pricing discrepancies, with one fan directly stating, “That’s why I said they are ripping us off in China.”
The overwhelming response underscores the immense “influence of sports superstars,” as many are calling it. Even a rare English comment on Weibo from Singapore lauded the 28-year-old Olympic champion as “a role model for people of all ages to admire, love and follow.”
This isn’t the first instance of fans rushing to secure a glimpse of Fan Zhendong in Germany. Reports from mainland China indicated that 1. FC Saarbrücken’s ticket presales “surged by 430 per cent” within the first three days of his signing announcement. The highly sought-after €299 VIP package vanished in a mere 30 minutes, and tickets for Fan’s much-anticipated debut against TTC OE Clarity Tel Bad Homburg on August 23 sold out in just three minutes, even causing a temporary paralysis of the official Table Tennis Bundesliga website due to the sheer volume of traffic.
Team manager Nicolas Barrois described the reaction to Fan’s signing as “crazy.” “The response has been incredible,” he stated. “It’s only been a few days since Fan was announced and we’ve already received inquiries for tickets, jerseys and potential sponsors.”
While the new Bundesliga season is set to commence in late August, the nine-time world champion is expected to participate in the second leg of the Chinese Table Tennis Super League, scheduled from July 25 to 28 in Xiamen, Fujian, as a warm-up. Fan showcased his dominant form during the first leg in Hebei earlier this month, where he went undefeated in seven matches, besting formidable opponents including world No. 1 Lin Shidong, Lin Gaoyuan, Xue Fei, and Huang Youzheng, all of whom competed in the recent World Championships in Doha.
