A new surge of support for table tennis star Fan Zhendong has gone viral nearly two months before his home debut for new team Borussia Dusseldorf, with a German travel agency inviting Chinese fans to watch him play live.
The former world number 1 became an official player for the 33-time Bundesliga champions on Wednesday, although team sources told the South China Morning Post that the Paris Olympic champions will have a single team from next month.
That did not stop fans from booking tickets for the team’s first home match against TSV Bad Konigshofen on August 22, a game that has been moved to the massive Mitsubishi Electric Hall, with more than 4,000 seats.
The Dusseldorf stadium can only host 1,100 spectators and will not have all their home matches.
Tickets ranging from the cheapest €24 (US$27.33) to the second most expensive VIP2 category at €175 are still available on ticket sites. Almost half the seats in the Mitsubishi Hall have been sold, while the most expensive VIP1 tickets, which cost €190 each, have sold out.
Dusseldorf, who finished second to Fan’s former team, 1. FC Saarbrucken, in the league last season, also confirmed that Fan would feature in the team’s first three home games, allaying fans’ worries before they buy tickets.
