The Shanghai government has confirmed there were no casualties in a fire earlier today (Tuesday) at Hongkou Football Stadium, the home of Carlos Tevez’s Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua.
Pictures released by state news agency Xinhua showed flames pouring from one side of the 33,000-capacity stadium, although the government has since said that the blaze has been fully extinguished.
The Reuters news agency reports that the cause of the fire remains unknown and the government is still carrying out an investigation into the incident. The blaze is not believed to have affected the stands or the pitch.
Argentina striker Tevez became the world’s highest-paid footballer when he joined Shanghai Shenhua, managed by Gus Poyet, last December on a salary of around $770,000 (£615,000) per week on a two-year contract. The club paid Boca Juniors a reported $91m for the former Manchester United and Manchester City player.
The club finished fourth in the Chinese Super League last season and their squad currently features other big-name players such as ex-Chelsea striker Demba Ba and former Inter Milan and Newcastle United forward Obafemi Martins.
According to Forbes, Shenhua are the sixth most valuable football team in China, with a team value of $106m, and an estimated revenue of $29m in 2015.
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