Chinese Football - what's going on?

[Deleted member 58678]

I can't fathom the end game on this for China. Even if they bought the entire Barca team and moved it to China, who the hell could watch it? The massive TV dollars for the Premier League isn't because it is the best league in the world. It isn't.

The CSL just signed a 5 year TV deal work about 850 million pounds. Contrast that to the PL who's TV money is over 5 Billion pounds over 3 years. Compare size of stadiums, cost of tickets, etc and there is absolutely no way this could come close to being financially sound. Sure they can draw more interest by having better players, and I'm sure that is the goal. Hell there is more talk about the CSL than I've ever seen in my life so the buzz is working at least to a point. Compare this to MLS that is building via a completely different model and is improving in smaller increments, but is financially sound.

I guess it sounds like the same things that folks were saying after City was purchased and all the money started being spent. But in this case, I simply can't see how this can work if the goal is anything other than just wanting to spend money. Congratulations you just spent 500 million pounds to finish at the top of a league that nobody outside the country cares about... This has to be a political play.

Why does anyone outside that country matter?

From the birth of football until about the 1990s nobody outside England gave a fuck about the English league but just two decades later it's a worldwide phenomenon.

Much like when City were taken over, give it time to grow and become a sound business model in its own right and it will matter on the world stage.

 

[Whichonespink]

From the birth of football in the 1990s nobody outside England gave a fuck about the English league but just two decades later it's a worldwide phenomenon.

Edited for accuracy

 

[KCblue]

Rumored that Diego Costa is a target for the Chinese League in a SEVENTY TWO MILLION POUND deal. Would be just Chelsea's luck in the transfer market

 

[bluemoon98]

Conte has been confirmed.

Pl will be good next season

Mourinho, pep, conte, klopp

Then you have zlatan, Aguero etc chasing after golden boot wow.

 

[Dave S]

Rumored that Diego Costa is a target for the Chinese League in a SEVENTY TWO MILLION POUND deal. Would be just Chelsea's luck in the transfer market

Luck? Don't think it's luck. Something very dodgy going on with the amount of money Chelsea are getting for their players.

 

[Walking on the blue moon]

My mate lives in China, big Bristol Rovers fan so gets his football fix by watching his local CSL side. Always tells me the standard is not much better than a lot of teams Rovers play week in week out, some of the Chinese players lack very basic skills and the numerous journeymen Brazilians and the big money signings that go there are visibly frustrated when their team mates just can't do the basics. He reckons apart from the fans that go to the stadium the interest in the Chinese league among the rest of the country is minimal. they prefer to watch the European leagues and a few signings ain't going to change that.

That's the sad truth. Sometimes I watch them and just end up wanting to smack their heads. A lot of resources have been going to football in China for some time now but unlike other sports such as table tennis and badminton, the development seems bafflingly slow. Personally I wish the clubs (and the government) could put the money into developing the academies and coaching properly instead of buying luxury players. That way there is more hope to Chinese football.