Chinese interest in intl soccer is surging

Chinese interest in international-level soccer has surged with the sale of English club Aston Villa to a Chinese businessman and reports that Jack Ma's Alibaba was in talks to become a major sponsor of FIFA, the sport's world governing body.

Tony Jiantong Xia, a wealthy Chinese entrepreneur who owns the Recon Group of companies and describes himself as a lifelong Villa fan, acquired Aston Villa from US businessman Randy Lerner, the club announced on Wednesday.

Xia's acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, is the first instance of 100 percent Chinese ownership of a European club.

No price tag was given by the club, but Sky News reported that Xia may have paid as much as 70 million pounds ($102.5 million), a price that reflects the fact that Villa, which won only three games in the season that just ended, has been relegated from the top-flight English Premier League to the lower Championship.

Xia's immediate aim was to get the club back into the Premiership within a season, he told the club's website. He also hopes to make Aston Villa the most famous soccer club in China with a huge fan base.

As the sale was being announced, Bloomberg reported that Ma of internet giant Alibaba was in talks with Swiss-based FIFA to become one of the governing body's top sponsors.

In March, billionaire businessman Wang Jianlin's Dalian Wanda signed a FIFA sponsorship deal. It was the first such commercial agreement since FIFA was rocked by allegations of corruption that led to several major sponsors withdrawing and President Sepp Blatter stepping down.

In Italy, a Chinese consortium is in exclusive talks to acquire AC Milan, a Serie A club owned by Fininvest, which is controlled by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's family. Although the price has not been disclosed, Italian media reported that Berlusconi was seeking about 700 million euros ($785 million) for the club.

Last year, in the wake of President Xi Jinping's UK visit, a group of Chinese investors paid $400 million for a 13 percent stake in leading English Premier League club Manchester City.

chris@mail.chinadailyuk.com