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Mike Chan

Tickets to watch Fan Zhendong play for his new table tennis club in Germany have sold out within 24 hours, as fans in China praised the low prices.
Fan recently signed for 1. FC Saarbrucken, and the team’s popularity soared overnight.
The Bundesliga side had expected season tickets to take weeks to sell – instead, they were snapped up within a day.
The tickets – ranging from €100 (US$115) to €800 – cover all Saarbrucken home matches in the Table Tennis Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League, leaving many mainland Chinese fans in awe of the pricing.
“€800 for a VIP pass with the best seats and access from August to June … the price is too good,” one user wrote on social media.

“Roughly 6,000 yuan for the whole season, it’s such a good deal,” another comment read.
Another made a direct comparison with World Table Tennis (WTT) tickets in China to highlight how much cheaper they were in Germany.
“It’s over 1,000 yuan (US$140) for one WTT ticket [in China],” the user wrote. “You couldn’t be spending anything less than 10,000 yuan for one full competition.”
“That’s why I said they are ripping us off in China,” another replied.
Others hailed the “Fan Zhendong effect” and the “influence of sports superstars”.
A rare English comment from Singapore on Weibo praised the 28-year-old as “a role model for people of all ages to admire, love and follow”.
It is not the first time fans have rushed to buy tickets to watch Olympic champion Fan play live in Germany.
Reports in mainland China suggested the club’s ticket presales “surged by 430 per cent” in the first three days after 1. FC Saarbrucken announced his arrival – a rise German media described as “unprecedented”.
The limited €299 VIP package was sold out within 30 minutes, while tickets to watch Fan’s debut against TTC OE Clarity Tel Bad Homburg on August 23 went after just three minutes – the demand so high it even paralysed the official Table Tennis Bundesliga website.
Team manager Nicolas Barrois called the response to Fan’s signing “crazy”.
“The response has been incredible,” he said. “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 does not start until late August, nine-time world champion Fan is expected to warm up by taking part again in the second leg of the Chinese Table Tennis Super League, which runs from July 25 to 28 in Xiamen.
The Guangdong native went undefeated in seven matches during the first leg in Hebei this month, beating compatriots Lin Shidong, Lin Gaoyuan, Xue Fei and Huang Youzheng – all of whom competed at the recent World Championships in Doha.


China thrash Japan to seal third table tennis World Cup title, historic bronze for Germany

Wang and Sun warm up for WTT Finals as China hammer Hong Kong in Mixed Team World Cup

WTT Finals: Lebrun reveals which Chinese ace he most wants to beat in Hong Kong

WTT Finals: Truls Moregard aims to create more happy memories of Hong Kong

ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation)

Fan Zhendong ticket sales spark frenzy as fans praise low prices in Germany

Fan Zhendong’s arrival at 1.FC Saarbrucken has led to a mad rush  for tickets to see him live in action. Photo: AFP

Fans in Germany can see Fan Zhendong in action much more cheaply than in mainland China. Photo: AFP

Calls to rush Fan Zhendong back into China table tennis team after perfect showing

Fan Zhendong serves against Lin Shidong at the China Table Tennis Super League event in Hebei. Photo: Xinhua

A match between world champion Wang Chuqin (above) and Fan failed to take place. Photo: Xinhua

China’s Fan Zhendong signs Bundesliga deal, official calls it ‘huge moment for table tennis’

China’s Fan Zhendong is expected to return to action at home and abroad over the next few months. Photo: AFP

Fan Zhendong ticket sales spark frenzy as fans praise low prices in Germany

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Season tickets sell out within 24 hours at Fan’s new club 1. FC Saarbrucken

Season tickets sell out within 24 hours at Fan’s new club 1. FC Saarbrucken