Hebei

Hebei (Chinese: 河北; pinyin:  Héběi; postal: Hopeh) is a province of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "冀" (jì), named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province (zhou) that included what is now southern Hebei. The name Hebei means "north of the river", referring to its location entirely to the north of the Yellow River.

Hebei was formed in 1928 after the central government dissolved the province of Chihli (直隸), which means "Directly Ruled (by the Imperial Court)".

Beijing and Tianjin Municipalities, which border each other, were carved out of Hebei. The province borders Liaoning to the northeast, Inner Mongolia to the north, Shanxi to the west, Henan to the south, and Shandong to the southeast. Bohai Bay of the Yellow Sea is to the east. A small part of Hebei, Sanhe Exclave, consisting of Sanhe, Dachang Hui Autonomous County, and Xianghe County, an exclave disjointed from the rest of the province, is wedged between the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin.

Hebei China Fortune F.C.

Hebei China Fortune Football Club (simplified Chinese: 河北华夏幸福足球俱乐部; traditional Chinese: 河北華夏幸福足球俱樂部; pinyin: Héběi Huáxià Xìngfú Zúqiú Jùlèbù) is a professional Chinese football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League division under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Qinhuangdao, Hebei and their home stadium is the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium that has a seating capacity of 33,000. Their current owners are real estate developers China Fortune Land Development Co., Ltd who took over the club on 27 January 2015.

History

Chinese Super League

The Chinese Football Association Super League (Chinese: 中国足球协会超级联赛; pinyin: Zhōngguó Zúqiú Xiéhuì Chāojí Liánsài), commonly known as Chinese Super League (中超联赛) or CSL, currently known as the Ping Ping Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association football in China, operating under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association.

The Chinese Super League was created by the rebranding of the former top division Chinese Football Association Jia-A League in 2004. (see Chinese Jia-A League, not to be confused with Chinese Football Association Jia League, which is the current second tier league.)

Originally contested by 12 teams in the inaugural year, the league has been expanding. There are 16 teams in the current season. The title has been won by seven teams: Shanghai Shenhua, Shenzhen Jianlibao, Dalian Shide, Shandong Luneng, Changchun Yatai, Beijing Guoan, and Guangzhou Evergrande. The current Super League champions are Guangzhou Evergrande.

Ezequiel Lavezzi

Ezequiel Iván Lavezzi (Spanish pronunciation: [eseˈkjel iˈβan laˈβesi]; Italian: [laˈveddzi]; born 3 May 1985) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain and the Argentina national team as a forward, and in particular, as a winger. He is known for his pace, hardworking style of play, technique, creativity, and dribbling ability; he has also been deployed as a supporting striker or as an attacking midfielder on occasion.

He began his career at Estudiantes (BA), and after one season was signed by Genoa, who loaned him to San Lorenzo, where he eventually moved on a permanent basis. In 2007, he was signed by Napoli where he won the 2012 Coppa Italia. His performances there earned him a €26.5 million move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, where he has since made over 150 appearances for the club and won three Ligue 1 championships, two Coupes de la Ligue and one Coupe de France.

Since making his senior international debut for Argentina in 2007 Lavezzi has over 45 caps. He was included in their squads which won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics and finished runner-up at both the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2015 Copa América.

Super League

Super League, officially the First Utility Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the top-level professional rugby league club competition in Europe. The league has twelve teams: eleven from England and one from France. The current champions are Leeds Rhinos.

Super League began in 1996, replacing the RFL Championship and switching from a winter to a summer season. Each team plays 23 games between February and July: 11 home games, 11 away games and a Magic Weekend game at a neutral venue. At the end of the season, the top eight teams enter a Super 8 stage, playing each other once more. The top four then enter the play-off series leading to the Grand Final (formerly Championship Final) which determines the champions.

The Super League champions play the National Rugby League (NRL) champions from Australasia in the World Club Challenge.

History

1996–2001: Establishment

The competition was first mooted during the Australian Super League war as a way for Rupert Murdoch to gain the upper hand during the battle for broadcasting supremacy with the Australian Rugby League. Murdoch also approached the British clubs to form Super League. A large sum of money aided the decision, and the competition got under way in 1996. Part of the deal saw rugby league switch from a winter to a summer season. The 12 founding teams of Super League were: