Students get a lesson from big spenders

GUANGZHOU - Guangzhou Evergrande FC started their campaign to return to the Chinese Super League (CSL) by winning their opening match in the second division against the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), 3-1, on Saturday in Zengcheng, Guangdong province.

The result was no surprise, as the match-up highlighted the gap between the league's rich and poor clubs.

Guangdong, who were relegated to the second division this season due to match-fixing in 2006, received a 100 million yuan ($14.6 million) sponsorship from the Evergrande group while the amateur college team has a 4 million yuan ($580,000) budget for its entire season, which it receives from the Beijing Sports Bureau.