China can't just wave a magic Wanda

Property magnate Wang Jianlin preaches patience in soccer drive

Real estate tycoon Wang Jianlin is urging Chinese soccer to build a firm foundation as he applies his business acumen to growing the sport.

The Wanda Group's efforts to help transform Chinese soccer began with the company's investment in Dalian Wanda FC in 1993, helping the club earn eight domestic league titles.

Through the China Cup and other initiatives, Wanda continues to wield a major influence, and the 62-year-old Wang expects his company's vision for growing the game to continue to evolve.

China unveiled a national soccer reform plan in 2015, and Wang is impressed with the results so far.

Massive investment has yielded progress for Chinese Super League teams, with Wang citing Guangzhou Evergrande's two Asian Champions League titles as an example.

"Chinese soccer is riding a rising tide after the boom in the 1990s," he said. "We can see that the game has developed to a far greater degree than was the case years ago.

"To put it simply, soccer is a money sport that requires an enormous capital input - but it also matters how the money is spent."

Giving youth a chance

Despite the progress being made, Wang remains concerned by the challenges facing the national team and, in particular, the problem of developing young talent amid soaring transfer fees and limited chances for youngsters in the CSL.

"The performance of the Chinese squad is not very satisfying," said Wang.

"As a result of a doubled or redoubled capital input, the CSL has flourished for the past four or five years. But in sharp contrast, the number of young people playing soccer has not gone up significantly.

"It is beyond our imagination that some homegrown players were sold for a 100 million yuan fee, making them among the world's top-priced players, yet youth participation remains stagnant."

The solution, Wang said, is running well-organized youth leagues.

However, continuing his construction analogy, he added: "We are unlikely to see results within the next five years, but it is never too late if concrete actions are taken to construct facilities, promote youth participation and organize youth leagues."

Wang reckons China requires around a million young players to develop in order for the country to become a top Asian power.

The inaugural China Cup was played in January in Nanning, the capital of China's Guangxi autonomous region, featuring Chile, Croatia, Iceland and the host, which finished third.

The Wanda-founded annual tournament is officially recognized by FIFA, with results counting towards the world rankings.

In a bid to increase the quality of the competition, Wanda is in discussions with FIFA to hold future games on official international matchdays.

"The tournament is a good opportunity for the Chinese national team to learn from playing against high-quality opponents," said Wang.

"It provides a gauge for our progress and shows us what we have to work on in order to improve."

Home sweet home

Six years ago Wanda launched its "Rising Stars" youth program, and the first batch of young hopefuls will turn 18 years old by the end of this year.

Wanda has invested 100 million yuan ($14.5 million) annually on the project, allowing 180 youngsters to hone their soccer skills in Spain.

Wang believes a handful of the program's graduates will be capable of playing for China's second-tier sides in the very near future. However, he cautions that patience will be required, with the ultimate aim of building a permanent infrastructure that will develop homegrown talent

"In terms of fostering players, we have to be patient and wait for up to 10 years before real results can be realized," said Wang.

"You have to first try new measures in order to determine whether or not they will work.

"After all, there is no soccer power in the world that relies on other countries to foster and train its own young talent."

Xinhua

Wanda Group's 'Rising Stars' program has sent dozens of young players from China to Spain over the past six years for training and competition with La Liga reserve clubs. Xie Haining / Xinhua