Shenzhen football lovers mourn loss of field

(ECNS) -- A football field in South China's Shenzhen was closed on Monday to make way for future skyscrapers, despite more than 20,000 citizens voting against the move online, the Yangtze Evening News reported.

Zhanpeng Football Field in Futian district is the latest of eight closed down by the city government in recent years. Football lovers have subsequently complained about the decreasing number of local sports fields.

Haifeng-1, a local voluntary team consisting of returned overseas talent, has since launched an online petition opposing the demolition and commercial plan.

As of 2 am on Wednesday, 95 percent of 28,740 netizens signed the petition, with only 5 percent voting for.

On August 31, the field's last day of operation, many football lovers came to bid farewell, some of whom even laid flowers and strung up sports T-shirts to show their discontent.

A team member who joined the activity said, "Sports facilities in the city can't meet the demands of such a large population and the city government should treat the issue seriously."

A local newspaper report defended the closure, stating that Zhanpeng Football Club, who operates the field, is suspected of occupying the land for purposes of profit over a period of nearly ten years, having initially signed a 2-year lease with the city government in 2002.

It's high time the government took back the land, it noted.