China

[adammania9]

The topic of Chinese football has football fans split. Do you like the idea of Chinese clubs splashing the cash on European talent to generate interest and expand football outside of Western Europe?

Gervinho, Fredy Guarin and Ramires are three big European names who have made the cross this January, and Australians seem to be getting in one the act as well; Tim Cahill, James Troisi, Matthew Spiranovic, Ryan McGowan and Trent Sainsbury the national team players plying their trade over there. The transfer rumours won't stop linking players there either, with guys like Fernando Torres and even Wayne Rooney linked with moves to become among the world's highest paid players. Even Asamoah Gyan has turned into a Top 10 player in terms of wages due to his gig with Shanghai SIPG.

It's easy to see that money is almost 100% the reason for the transfers, with clubs absolutely stinking rich. Are players doing the deed in making a once small league one of the biggest in the world, or are they wasting their time in a league that will never challenge Europe?

Is it improving or declining the talent in China? Is this a plan to make China powerhouses in the future? Similarly to A-League, the five foreign player rule still applies, so foreign signings don't entirely ruin youth, so the AFC and Chinese Federation have a firm grip on the league. Teams participating in the AFC Champions League however, are permitted two more foreign player spots.

Personally, I like the idea of there potentially being world class leagues outside of the typical Western Europe, and I support the growth of China, Russia, Middle East and United States, but at the same time, should national teams be selecting blokes who are (pretty much) prioritising money over their own ability or potential?

 

[Great8]

As long as the majority of players in it are Chinese the league will be crap. On a whole they are just a rubbish footballing nation and all the money in the world won't change that

 

[Zidane98]

They can spunk money on imported players all they want. The rest of the local players in the league are of a very poor standard and this will only be exacerbated by the huge amounts of money being thrown at imports. Don't see the standard improving any time soon and the average A League player is of a better standard than the average CSL player.

 

[jd2010]

It's not like they are buying Kroos or Rakitic. It's Paulinho, Guarin and Ramires!

 

[Zidane98]

The Chinese league's main purpose will be a place where European clubs can flog dud signings & still get good money for them.

 

[BluesMan]

It's not like they are buying Kroos or Rakitic. It's Paulinho, Guarin and Ramires!

Ramires is essentially messi in that comp

 

[bok_party]

I think the plan for them would be that playing with these superstars will hopefully rub off on the Chinese players and they can improve the standard of their local players. For a nation with so many people, they do suck at football so they at obviously trying to change that. It will take time but I guess it makes sense. Plus in the meantime, they can have these great players in the league.

 

[Cooldude]

I think first and foremost they actually need a decent infrastructure at grassroots level, more meritocracy, less corruption and acquire more professional expertise from Europe in order to develop local players. That's their biggest problem

These trophy signings are shiny but beyond that I don't think it'll do a lot of good for where they really wanna be with their national team.

 

[bok_party]

Of course grassroots is most important but I'm sure these stars have clauses in their contract to help out with the juniors.

 

[jd2010]

Are blokes like Paulinho and Ramires really going to pass off enough to create a Chinese Pirlo?

 

[Zidane98]

Help out with the juniors? The import players are in it for the money & nothing else.

 

[jd2010]

If Beckham and co can only get the US and MLS to where they are now, China is a long way off being much more than irrelevant

 

[moomba]

I don't think signing the likes of Paulinho, Ramirez etc will do a lot more than increase interesr in the league and sport.

But the big change they need to make is the development serup. I think this is happening.

I posted sometime last year that CFG were advertising for qualified coaches to work in China. I believe a significant number are already over there in that role. Surely the infrastructure of academies will follow in the short term.

The sport is being made conpulsory at school and businesses encouraged to invest in China and abroad.

I read something a while ago about the Portugese 2nd division and a deal for each club in it to have some Chinese players in it.

Will be interesting to see how it goes, both with the league and the sport as a whole.

You're probably looking 10 years + before you see any impact at all.

 

[kreglze]

Going to hurt the Australian contingent that have gone over there at the moment.

 

[Zidane98]

Can see the Chinese League going the way of the NASL. This isn't the first time the Chinese have done this. Had a go back in 2011 with a whole plethora of international stars. Nek minnut owner of Shanghai has fight with communist government and all of a sudden Drogba isn't getting paid. All of the "youth" programs turned out to be a joke.

Anyone that believes the CSL will make a difference to football in Chinese culture is mistaken.

 

[Zidane98]

As long as the majority of players in it are Chinese the league will be crap. On a whole they are just a rubbish footballing nation and all the money in the world won't change that

This. Same thing applies for the Arab nations. They've been signing big names for years and throwing money everywhere. Hasn't changed them one bit and the biggest reason for that is sport just isn't popular in middle eastern culture.

 

[undefined]

What a misleading title...

Eagerly clicked the link expecting heated debate regarding China's economic slowdown, featuring expert views from glenferry23

ffs,

At least they're splashing the dosh on high-quality imports such as Ramires/Gervinho/less recently BA- having those showstoppers in the national league will undoubtedly reignite the citizen's interest in Football & add some polish to a notoriously average competition

 

[Cruyff14]

Ramires will destroy the Asians with his physicality.

 

[Pykie]

This. Same thing applies for the Arab nations. They've been signing big names for years and throwing money everywhere. Hasn't changed them one bit and the biggest reason for that is sport just isn't popular in middle eastern culture.

And there-in lies the difference.

People here are just assuming China will stay crap at football forever.

They are one of the biggest sporting powerhouses on the planet, they want to be a football powerhouse, the government will force the best kids into football, like they do for gymnastics, swimming etc etc, kids are tested at a very very young age and siphoned into the relevant sporting bodies. As soon as the coaching and structures are in place at a grass root level (which is getting hundreds of millions of dollars pumped into) they are going to have a a huge amount of young players to work with.

 

[Zidane98]

And there-in lies the difference.

People here are just assuming China will stay crap at football forever.

They are one of the biggest sporting powerhouses on the planet, they want to be a football powerhouse, the government will force the best kids into football, like they do for gymnastics, swimming etc etc, kids are tested at a very very young age and siphoned into the relevant sporting bodies. As soon as the coaching and structures are in place at a grass root level (which is getting hundreds of millions of dollars pumped into) they are going to have a a huge amount of young players to work with.

You just don't get it. Soccer isn't a part of Chinese culture. Money will not change that and it's arrogant to suggest it will. Academic excellence is far more important to the parents of Chinese kids. Individual sports are far more popular.

Middle Eastern football has had an eye watering amount of money pumped into it and yet Arabic nations are declining if anything in standard. Why is that ? Sport just isn't a major part of Middle Eastern culture. And money won't change that just like money won't change the place of soccer in Chinese culture.

 

[SM]

Tennis wasn't part of Asian culture not too long ago..

 

[Pykie]

You just don't get it. Soccer isn't a part of Chinese culture. Money will not change that and it's arrogant to suggest it will. Academic excellence is far more important to the parents of Chinese kids. Individual sports are far more popular.

Middle Eastern football has had an eye watering amount of money pumped into it and yet Arabic nations are declining if anything in standard. Why is that ? Sport just isn't a major part of Middle Eastern culture. And money won't change that just like money won't change the place of soccer in Chinese culture.

I don't get why you keep comparing China to the Middle East?

The only thing they have in common is money, the middle east doesn't have the population, the infrastructure, the central driving body like the Chinese government, nor the sporting pedigree, you may as well compare China to Greenland in a sporting sense.

The Chinese government has no morals, if they want something bad enough, they will make it happen, the huge upturn in investment in the sport in the country should give you a fair indication of what they want atm.

They have turned their eye from the olympic sports to football, it's only a matter of time, it may not be for 30-50 years, but eventually China will be a top 10 nation in football.

 

[kreglze]

It will take about 10-15 years for any of this to take effect when these kids get to that age that they are going to benefit from this investment at the junior grassroots.

 

[Zidane98]

I don't get why you keep comparing China to the Middle East?

The only thing they have in common is money, the middle east doesn't have the population, the infrastructure, the central driving body like the Chinese government, nor the sporting pedigree, you may as well compare China to Greenland in a sporting sense.

The Chinese government has no morals, if they want something bad enough, they will make it happen, the huge upturn in investment in the sport in the country should give you a fair indication of what they want atm.

They have turned their eye from the olympic sports to football, it's only a matter of time, it may not be for 30-50 years, but eventually China will be a top 10 nation in football.

They are similar in terms of soccer and team sports in general not being important in both cultures. China has far less registered players than Japan despite massive amounts of money being pumped into the game in China for the last 10 years. No amount of money can change Chinese culture that's been embedded for decades. Academic success is the most important thing to Chinese parents.

I don't see the Chinese national team winning the Asian Cup again in my lifetime. Australia, Japan, S Korea & Iran are far too strong. Also China are not a sporting powerhouse at all - they are good at individual sports and not much else. Plus they've already been pumping huge amounts of money into football in China for the last 10 years already - something you ignore.

 

[jd2010]

Tennis wasn't part of Asian culture not too long ago..

Considering the sports that are popular there are individual sports. And a lot of them have very similar principles to tennis it's no surprise they've improved

Football on the other hand....