Here’s a summary of what you can find in my weekly China Digest for SportBusiness:
Continue reading Xi to stay on, Wanda to get out, Tmall turns to F1 and more Milan misery
Tag Archives: EPL
Wigan Athletic takeover, AFC open to offers, China’s Olympic-sized delegation and more
Here’s a summary of what you can find in my weekly China Digest for SportBusiness:
Big trouble in China: how to manage a crisis
The UCLA incident last week was not the first time visiting teams have had problems while on tour in China. Here’s a look at what can happen when things go south and how teams should respond when trying to manage a crisis.
Continue reading Big trouble in China: how to manage a crisis
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
Will Premier League teams ever come back to China?
Thousands of Chinese soccer fans went home very disappointed last Monday evening, following the cancellation of the much-anticipated Manchester derby, after rain the previous week had left the pitch at the Bird’s Nest stadium in an unplayable state. Coupled with less than stellar pre-season tours in previous years, it’s hard to see many top Premier League teams jumping at the chance to return to China, especially when trips to the US and elsewhere are so much more enjoyable.
The expected resumption of hostilities between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, the new coaches of City and United respectively, had shone an unusually bright spotlight on this pre-season friendly, which, unfortunately, only served to highlight the inadequacies of the event’s preparation.
Continue reading Will Premier League teams ever come back to China?
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
Weekly Wrap: Xi Jinping, Tour de France, Wimbledon, football $$
The glut of “China isn’t at the World Cup, but…” articles has slowed (there is only so much to say, after all), though these pictures of President Xi Jinping are doing the rounds (h/t @niubi), unthinkable to depict the President in cartoon form just a few years ago.
Continue reading Weekly Wrap: Xi Jinping, Tour de France, Wimbledon, football $$
苏亚雷斯是英雄与恶棍的融合体
每届世界杯上都会出现一批新的英雄还有新的恶棍，但是这一届世界杯上，有个人却完美地将这两个角色融合在了一起。
