Champions League moving to China?

[El Presidente]

https://next.ft.com/content/7af1f348-442b-11e6-9b66-0712b3873ae1

According to the FT a Chinese businessman is approaching the 'big' clubs in Europe with a view to a rival competition, could be the next Kerry Packer style venture.

 

[Carrot Cruncher]

You'll have to give us the salient points chap, as it's behind a paywall.

 

[KingstonSeagull]

https://next.ft.com/content/7af1f348-442b-11e6-9b66-0712b3873ae1

La di da... Someone has an FT subscription....

 

[Gary Leeds]

from reuters

Asia's richest man Wang Jianlin, the owner of conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, is backing plans to launch a soccer tournament that will rival the European Champions League, the Financial Times reported.

The group was seeking support in England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany by promising more places in an enlarged tournament and higher revenues from broadcasting rights, Marco Bogarelli, the strategic director of Wanda Sports Holding, the Chinese group's sports arm, told the newspaper.

Bogarelli said talks had begun with Spain's La Liga and Italy's Serie A and that Wanda was planning to start discussions with England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1 after the European championship which ends on Sunday.

Wanda said it was unable to comment on the report.

The group owns a 20 percent stake in Atletico Madrid, beaten finalists in the Champions League last season.

Currently, clubs from England, Germany and Spain are granted four spots in the Champions League, the continent's most prestigious club tournament, while teams from France, Italy and Portugal are allotted three places each.

Wanda's proposal would guarantee at least six places for each of the big five leagues.

Continental European clubs are reported to be keen on changes to the Champions League to secure a more reliable flow of revenue and to try to keep up with teams from the English Premier League which has the most lucrative TV deals.

A soccer investment boom in China has helped propel interest in the game in the most populous country in the world.

Chinese firms have invested in overseas clubs, player agencies and media rights firms, and global soccer stars have moved to China in multi-million dollar deals. (Writing by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; additional reporting by Clare Jim in Hong Kong,; editing by Keith Weir)

 

[Was not Was]

La di da... Someone has an FT subscription....

I read it without a paid subscription - I think I've signed up in the past for a free account, which enables you to read a few articles per week or month ...

I'm not speaking for [MENTION=31]El Presidente[/MENTION], of course, who no doubt has a platinum account.

 

[Hillian1]

from reuters

Asia's richest man Wang Jianlin, the owner of conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, is backing plans to launch a soccer tournament that will rival the European Champions League, the Financial Times reported.

The group was seeking support in England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany by promising more places in an enlarged tournament and higher revenues from broadcasting rights, Marco Bogarelli, the strategic director of Wanda Sports Holding, the Chinese group's sports arm, told the newspaper.

Bogarelli said talks had begun with Spain's La Liga and Italy's Serie A and that Wanda was planning to start discussions with England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1 after the European championship which ends on Sunday.

Wanda said it was unable to comment on the report.

The group owns a 20 percent stake in Atletico Madrid, beaten finalists in the Champions League last season.

Currently, clubs from England, Germany and Spain are granted four spots in the Champions League, the continent's most prestigious club tournament, while teams from France, Italy and Portugal are allotted three places each.

Wanda's proposal would guarantee at least six places for each of the big five leagues.

Continental European clubs are reported to be keen on changes to the Champions League to secure a more reliable flow of revenue and to try to keep up with teams from the English Premier League which has the most lucrative TV deals.

A soccer investment boom in China has helped propel interest in the game in the most populous country in the world.

Chinese firms have invested in overseas clubs, player agencies and media rights firms, and global soccer stars have moved to China in multi-million dollar deals. (Writing by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; additional reporting by Clare Jim in Hong Kong,; editing by Keith Weir)

Stopped reading at "Soccer"

 

[Paul Reids Sock]

from reuters

Asia's richest man Wang Jianlin, the owner of conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, is backing plans to launch a soccer tournament that will rival the European Champions League, the Financial Times reported.

The group was seeking support in England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany by promising more places in an enlarged tournament and higher revenues from broadcasting rights, Marco Bogarelli, the strategic director of Wanda Sports Holding, the Chinese group's sports arm, told the newspaper.

Bogarelli said talks had begun with Spain's La Liga and Italy's Serie A and that Wanda was planning to start discussions with England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1 after the European championship which ends on Sunday.

Wanda said it was unable to comment on the report.

The group owns a 20 percent stake in Atletico Madrid, beaten finalists in the Champions League last season.

Currently, clubs from England, Germany and Spain are granted four spots in the Champions League, the continent's most prestigious club tournament, while teams from France, Italy and Portugal are allotted three places each.

Wanda's proposal would guarantee at least six places for each of the big five leagues.

Continental European clubs are reported to be keen on changes to the Champions League to secure a more reliable flow of revenue and to try to keep up with teams from the English Premier League which has the most lucrative TV deals.

A soccer investment boom in China has helped propel interest in the game in the most populous country in the world.

Chinese firms have invested in overseas clubs, player agencies and media rights firms, and global soccer stars have moved to China in multi-million dollar deals. (Writing by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; additional reporting by Clare Jim in Hong Kong,; editing by Keith Weir)

Thanks for posting across.

Looks interesting, however I am sure that there was talks about this recently that were torpedoed by the English and Spanish - or was that for a new European league?

 

[beorhthelm]

cant see it getting far, if clubs are talking its to gain bargining power to change the Champions League format/funding.

 

[El Presidente]

I read it without a paid subscription - I think I've signed up in the past for a free account, which enables you to read a few articles per week or month ...

I'm not speaking for [MENTION=31]El Presidente[/MENTION], of course, who no doubt has a platinum account.

It came with my subscription to Red Hot Dutch.

Sorry about that, didn't realise it was protected.

 

[Easy 10]

I take it we're not talking about a competition that actually takes place IN China. Because from a TV point of view, the time difference will nobble this from the get-go. Beijing is 7 hours ahead of us - what sort of time are they envisaging these games kicking off ?

 

[Icy Gull]

Stopped reading at "Soccer"

Stopped reading at China

 

[Theatre of Trees]

Stopped reading at China

Stopped reading at Champions League

 

[blueandwhitestripes]

Stopped reading at Leeds

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

Stopped at Reading.

 

[Vankleek Hill Seagull]

Stopped at Reading.

You poor *******. What a soul destroying place. Nobody should ever suffer that fate.!!!!

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

You poor *******. What a soul destroying place. Nobody should ever suffer that fate.!!!!

Years of therapy ahead. Man, if I knew then what I know now!

 

[knocky1]

Didn't read it but Enjoyed Red Hot Dutch.

China has the money and viewers to take over World football. It's just how they go about it. Hope God is more use than he was to Blair and Bush.

 

[The Fifth Column]

Stopped reading at "Soccer"

Stopped reading at "Wang".

 

[BensGrandad]

The logical answer would be a European based tournament run like the Euros over 2 or 3 weeks in the summer rather than most Tuesdays through the season.

 

[El Presidente]

The logical answer would be a European based tournament run like the Euros over 2 or 3 weeks in the summer rather than most Tuesdays through the season.

Logical to whom?

What would happen in World Cup or European Championship summers, which take place over a period of about a month, rather than 2-3 weeks?