THE home stadium of China’s Shanghai Shenhua soccer club caught fire early yesterday but there were no casualties and the blaze was extinguished by mid-morning, the city government said.

    The cause of the blaze at the Hongkou Stadium was still being investigated, Shanghai government said on its official Weibo.

    Xinhua said the fire had not affected the stands or the pitch.

    The Chinese Super League team has spent heavily to sign high-profile players in recent months.

    Carlos Tevez signed a two-year deal in December for a reported 84 million euros (US$91.22 million) while Senegalese striker Demba Ba, Nigerian forward Obafemi Martins and Colombian midfielder Fredy Guarin also play at the club.

    Shenhua, which appointed Gus Poyet as manager last year, finished fourth last season, 16 points behind champion Guangzhou Evergrande.

    After being knocked out of Asia’s top club competition in February the team felt obliged to apologize to fans.

    Some thought the fire could be a good omen for the national team, which beat South Korea last week to reignite a faltering World Cup qualifying campaign.

    “The fire is extinguished, the emblem is intact, this must mean the Chinese national team will rise from the ashes,” said one on China’s popular Sina Weibo.

    (SD-Agencies)