Italy’s top football league in talks to hold match in China
Italy’s top football league is exploring plans to hold a competitive match in China as the two countries seek to cement economic and cultural ties during a state visit of President Xi Jinping that has set alarm bells ringing in Brussels and Washington.
Executives from Serie A and the Italian football federation are in talks with executives at China Media Group, the main state broadcaster, about the plans, with the intention to announce the plan this weekend, according to a draft agreement seen by the Financial Times.
Italy’s football federation and league will seek to organise a game in China “in the next three years and with an adequate budget”, according to the document. Under the proposal, both national teams would also play exhibition games in the other country.
China Media Group executives are part of a 500-strong delegation travelling with Mr Xi during a European tour that starts on Friday and whose highlight will be a ceremony on Saturday marking Italy’s formal endorsement of Beijing’s global investment push, Belt and Road Initiative.
By becoming the first G7 country to endorse the BRI, Italy has unnerved its European and American allies. The investment programme aims to finance and build infrastructure in more than 80 countries in Eurasia, the Middle East and Africa. Washington and Brussels are concerned it favours Chinese companies, creates debt traps for recipient states and is being used to further Beijing’s strategic and military influence.
On Thursday evening, EU leaders were due to discuss plans to toughen the bloc’s stance towards China, described by the European Commission and the EU’s diplomatic service last week as an “economic competitor” and a “systemic rival”.
A keen football fan, Mr Xi has unveiled a wide-ranging plan to transform China from a footballing minnow into a powerhouse capable of hosting and winning the World Cup.
His declaration led to a $2.5bn spending spree by Chinese companies and tycoons, who rushed to acquire stakes in football clubs and other European sports assets. That boom appears to have been halted after Beijing launched a crackdown in 2017 on some overseas investments and capital outflows.
Under the football agreement, the Italian federation will propose a multi-year agreement to provide assistance to Chinese companies looking to invest in Italy’s Serie A clubs and will supply multimedia content for Chinese media channels, as well as offering training and other exchanges of expertise to Chinese football.
The push to promote Italian football in China is being arranged by Gabriele Gravina, president of the Italian football federation, and Gaetano Miccichè and Luigi De Siervo of Serie A, the top Italian football league.
The plan to hold a Serie A match in China could yet run into difficulties, as the deal would be likely to require approval not only from Italian and Chinese football authorities, but also the Asian Football Confederation and Fifa, the game’s international governing body.
In the face of strong opposition from Fifa, Spain’s top-level La Liga had to postpone plans to hold a competitive fixture in the US this season, and Fifa president Gianni Infantino said that “official league matches must be played within the territory of the respective member association”.
The English Premier League floated a similar initiative in 2008, but the idea was shelved in the face of fierce criticism from fans, politicians and media commentators.
However, Serie A and the Italian football federation are keen to explore initiatives that grow its international audience while seeking investment from overseas.
In January, the “Suppercoppa”, an annual fixture between the Italy’s league champions and the winner of Coppa Italia cup competition, was played in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The match had previously been played in Beijing and Shanghai.
Buy on AliExpress.com
