Here is today’s China Sports column for SupChina, which you can read in full here. Below is a summary of what went on this week.
Continue reading Bending – and breaking – the rules in Chinese football
Tag Archives: CSL
Carlos the Jackass, CFA on trial and the search for the new Li Na goes on
Here is today’s China Sports column for SupChina, which you can read in full here. Below is a summary of what went on this week.
Continue reading Carlos the Jackass, CFA on trial and the search for the new Li Na goes on
Doping, diplomacy and deadbeat players
Fresh off making their 2017 China Sources list, this is my debut China Sports column for SupChina, which you can read in full here. Below is a summary of what went on this week.
10 questions on the Chinese sports industry
US-based sports marketing guru Joe Favorito reached out and asked me to do a Q&A for his site on various aspects of the Chinese sports industry. Given that his weekly industry newsletter is distributed to well over 30,000 people, I was more than happy to oblige. Joe published the results in two parts – here and here – which are reprinted below.
Continue reading 10 questions on the Chinese sports industry
Breaking down Chinese football’s latest brainwaves
Late on Wednesday night, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) released details of two new rules that the Chinese Super League (CSL) must follow. Both rules are significant and have immediate consequences, not just for Chinese football, but for the global transfer market. Let’s break down the what and the why of Chinese football’s latest brainwaves, before examining what consequences are likely.
Continue reading Breaking down Chinese football’s latest brainwaves
China set for underdog role in World Cup qualifying
10 games over the next 12 months will determine whether or not China can qualify for the FIFA World Cup for just the second time in history.
Continue reading China set for underdog role in World Cup qualifying
West Brom, AC Milan added to China’s trophy cabinet
Chinese football added another two major clubs to the country’s portfolio, as the government-backed soccer drive shows no sign of slowing down.
With the sporting world’s attention zeroing in on the Rio Olympics, China’s football industry – as has been the case repeatedly this year – stole back the spotlight. West Brom became the first English Premier League club to be acquired by a mainland Chinese owner. Then, just hours later, AC Milan joined the club as a Chinese consortium took full ownership from Silvio Berlusconi, following the lead of its cross-town rival Inter two months ago. Here are five thoughts on the day’s dealings: Continue reading West Brom, AC Milan added to China’s trophy cabinet
Explained: What’s behind Chinese takeovers of football clubs
I spoke to Sky Sports reporter Johnny Phillips last week for a piece he did on the increasing amount of Chinese investment directed at English football clubs in recent weeks. Editors being as they are, only a few selected highlights appeared in the finished article, but we covered a lot of ground, so here is an uncut version (completed shortly before the Wolves deal – the latest of the Chinese takeovers – was announced), touching on why rumours spread so quickly, West Brom’s possible owner and his plans for world domination, Sven spouting nonsense and why Wolves fans are probably sleeping better than Villa ones at the moment.
Continue reading Explained: What’s behind Chinese takeovers of football clubs
Horrific injury overshadows CSL’s latest star arrivals
The CSL’s summer transfer window saw yet another record fee paid, as more international players arrived in China, but the league’s top scorer, Demba Ba, is looking at months on the sidelines after a bad leg break.
It is a measure of how much the pulling power of the Chinese Super League (CSL) has exploded over the past year that the summer transfer window, which closed last week, contained a handful of blockbuster deals, but was still considered quieter than expected.
Continue reading Horrific injury overshadows CSL’s latest star arrivals
New soccer tournaments could see China gain global dominance
China’s long-term soccer plan calls for the country to be a global force in the game by 2050, but if China’s latest football project comes off, it would arguably become a major footballing power long before that.
The plan has been laid out by the Chinese government, backed, of course, by President Xi Jinping, but the latest moves have come from one of the country’s biggest companies – Wanda, whose boss just happens to be China’s richest man.
Continue reading New soccer tournaments could see China gain global dominance