Premiership football in Africa and Asia

[Marvin]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...ll-put-United-in-the-shade.html?ATTR=Football

Football owners are forever talking about making their clubs big in Asia and Africa. Our own owners were recently talking about the opportunities for City in Africa, and it wasn't long ago that many suspected Sun Jihai's contract was down to the huge fan base in China

The crowds that clubs like Utd, Liverpool and Madrid get in the Far Eat shows that there is a huge market there, but that's clearly through success on the pitch, and not because of any identification with particular players or owners. Nakata and Beckham sell loads of shirts, but as soon as these players move on, the fans of these players move on to their new clubs

if anything, I think we'll see the domestic game in Africa, and Asia take off, and the support for foreign clubs will wane. It's hard to guage the standard of club football outside europe, but on the basis of the National teams, the gap is closing very rapidly

 

[Bilboblue]

I travel to Thailand and Cambodia regularly and I can assure you the Thais couldn't really give a fuck about their own football.
They are huge fans of the Premier League.
Where you are right is saying it is down to the success of the 'top 4'
The fans are fickle though and generally only follow the top teams results, many that used to like Leeds will now like Chelsea Arsenal Liverpool or THEM.
Fact is, if we can bring continual success to City it will open up a whole new market for us, but we will never match yoonighted or L'pool.
Strange thing to me is Chelsea seem more popular than Arsenal out there so maybe we can 'nick' that fourth spot off the gooners in Asian hearts as well as the premier league!

 

[LongsightM13]

I went to The Gambia in 2005, which is one of the better off, touristy nations in africa, and delivered 2000 pairs of used childrens football boots. They're obsessed with the prem. I met one blue and literally gave him the retro shirt off my back. These guys know their stuff

 

[roland]

I'm currently living in Indonesia and your right the locals here generally don't give two hoots about their local teams. With Liverpool and Manure having huge followings and supporters clubs who gather to watch games, followed surprise surprise by Arsenal and then Chelsea. I have however bought a City training top, which he wears for one of the guys I play futsal with an Arsenal fan. I've even managed to get a few girls to become City fans or adopt us as their favourite team. Our recent derby heroics did us no harm in warming us to the non united fans over here and the general awareness of "The Citizens" as they refer to us as is pretty good and I wouldn't be surprised to see the number of City followers growing though it has to be said there certainly aren't many in Indo at the moment.

 

[Frank the Yank]

I can speak about Thailand and its big becasue they love football. Its also big because they love to gamble and they always bet CHALK aka the favorties!! Thats why the "Big 4" have a lot of following. Having said that, Liverpool are STILL bigger over here than Stretford Scouse Strikers....

 

[Marvin]

China is the next superpower, if it isn't already.

Sport follows economics, and when it does the face of football will be changed forever. Probably take at least a decade though

 

[halfcenturyup]

Yep, the guys are right. I live in Bangkok and the locals are pretty much football crazy here. There is lots of football on tv and therefore in bars and clubs (even if most people dont have coverage at home themselves by any stretch of the imagination), English, Spanish, Italian - but the Prem is by far the most popular I guess because English language is popular and therefore England. For historical reasons Liverpool and Utd are by far the most popular but there are huge numbers of young people in Asia (relatively speaking) and support follows success. It isn't "tribal" like it is at home ....

I doubt that will ever change, unless the local leagues bring in the best foreign players, but that has been tried before and has never really worked (thinking Japan?). So I guess the Prem will be top dog for a long time ....

... or until there is a European super league?

 

[cucumberman]

2 reasons why the top 4 has a stranglehold on the South East asian market.

1) Premier League TV.

The moment this show was aired 2 decades or so ago (when countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei had limited tv options and live or fulltime repeats of matches were scarce) was also the moment when fans chose to go (or gloryhunt) teams. there were 6 big fanbases then, Rags, Scousers, Rovers, Leeds, Newcastle United and Arsenal. it was a litmus test for new fans. As the show pushes and chokes audience with these 6 teams and how godly they were instead of actual 90mins matches of ALL clubs, many followed them. rovers was a 4 years glory hunting pasttime the most. the Leeds Utd fanbase has been wiped off the face of S.E Asia, and Newcastle is getting near extinction if they fail to come back to the league for a few more years.

2) Imitation merchandise

The top 4 reigns supreme with imitation merchandise here. Its hilarious how the Saudi Telecom rag shirts were worn by many rags pre-real shirt release. eggs on their faces. point is, its easy to show support if there are many ugly imitations to colour one's car or office space.

both reasons directly connotate with glory hunting mentality.