A blaze has ripped through part of big-spending Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua’s home stadium.
Black smoke billowed from the Hongkou Stadium Tuesday as fire tore through one end of the 33,000-seater arena.
No injuries were reported by local media, and no explanation given as to the cause of the fire, which started at 08.30am local time.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control after it broke out during rush hour in the Chinese city, which is home to 24 million people.
Shenhua is part of the country’s rising breed of superpower clubs which are spending huge sums on attracting high-profile players and coaches.
It recently paid a reported £71.6 million ($90m) to secure the services of Argentina striker Carlos Tevez, whose wages are said to be $774,000 a week — double what Real Madrid’s Cristiano Roanldo earns.
The club is managed by Uruguayan Gus Poyet, who had spells with English Premier League clubs Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur as a player before managing Sunderland and Spanish side Real Betis.
Shenhua’s city rivals — Shanghai SIPG — splashed out over $100m to sign Brazilian pair Oscar and Hulk from Chelsea and Zenit St. Petersburg respectively.
Shenhua is next scheduled to play at the Hongkou Stadium on April 16, when it hosts Changchun Yatai in a Super League match.