Jan 23
It wasn't the way that China's men's national team wanted to exit the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, but a 2-0 defeat in the quarterfinals to host Australia eliminated them from the tournament and they will now head back home. Despite the setback, this is a team that supporters in Australia and back in the Middle Kingdom can certainly be proud of as they look ahead to the qualification process for the 2018 World Cup.
We'd be remiss if not to report about China's latest sports reform measures. The message first sent out on Sept 3 on CCTV's most watched news show, the Xinwen Lianbo. To everyone's surprise, the show aired exactly four minutes and eleven seconds of a State Council meeting on China's industry of sports.
FC Barcelona, the club who plays the most beautiful football in the world, is building its success in China, and they're approaching the market in a way that no other club has done before.
Last month, Sandro Rosell, Barça's new president, was traveling in China with his colleagues. Unlike others, their trip was not about friendly games or cooperation with local clubs, but laying down guanxi with Chinese politicians and clenching a business deal with a giant Internet firm.
Jul 7
China’s heir apparent brought up football again this week during his meeting with Sohn Hak-kyu, South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party leader.
From Xinkuaibao via Xinhua:
After the meeting, Sohn Hak-kyu gave a football autographed by Park Ji-Sung to Vice President Xi as a present. As a football fan, Xi expressed that China’s World Cup qualification, hosting of the World Cup and winning the World Cup are his three wishes.
Previously:
Oct 16
When visiting a German pharmaceutical company yesterday, Xi Jinping, China's heir apparent, was given a Bayer Leverkusen jersey with his name printed on as a gift. And the outspoken vice president takes on Chinese football this time.
"The level of Chinese football is relatively low," said Mr. Xi. "But after wining so many golds in other sports at the Beijing Games, China is determined to make its football go to the top level (搞上去). But this might take a long time."
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