July 2016 – Page 106 – ASIA SPORTS BUSINESS

10 sporting questions for the Year of the Monkey

After a breathless few weeks during which the entire sporting world has been talking about Chinese football (with yours truly quoted by AFP three times, FT twice, El Pais, Hicimos, Vice Sports and interviewed by CCTV, BBC and Al Jazeera among others), let’s take a look at a few stories that could be cropping up over the next 12 months…

1. Which high-priced foreign import will be the first to flee the CSL?*

Well, you didn’t really expect all these new signings to have a happy ending, did you? The days when Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba left abruptly after not receiving their promised piles of cash may be (mostly) over, but it’s hard to believe all of Alex Teixeira (below), Jackson Martinez, Ramires, Fredy Guarin, Gervinho and others will settle seamlessly into their new teams on the other side of the world.

Brazilian Alex Teixeira arrives in Nanjing after signing for Jiangsu Suning

That’s not to say that they will all disappear next week – Asamoah Gyan and Demba Ba, for example, hardly set the league on fire last year and are still playing in China – but if these players’ agents can attract interest from a serious contender in Europe (and their pay cut is at least softened by a hefty signing bonus), then you have to think there could be some further moves this summer.

Aston Villa’s Chinese owner: Saint or Sinner?

Tony Xia has been hailed in some quarters as Aston Villa’s knight in shining armor, but how much is really known about the Chinese businessman?

Reading the Meet our new Owner introductory page on Aston Villa’s official website, new chairman Tony Xia ticks all the right boxes: young, presentable, well-educated, former player, long-time Villa fan and – as an employer of 35,000 people in 75 countries – presumably also fantastically rich.

But the truth, it seems, is not quite that simple.The first red flag is the fact that in a seven-paragraph article, Tony himself doesn’t actually appear until the fifth paragraph, begging the question who is the real owner – him or the Recon Group? Is he the king of the empire, or is there someone lurking behind the throne?

So what of this empire? Recon owns controlling interests in five publicly-listed companies, of which the largest two are from the Chinese mainland (and the other three listed in Hong Kong). The jewel in the crown is the Shanghai-listed Lotus Health Group, China’s largest manufacturer of the food additive MSG, widely used throughout the country, but increasingly being shunned by discerning Chinese diners.

Next up comes Shenzhen-listed Tianxia Zhihui, which started out as a company that made shampoos and soaps – rebranded as Softto in 2004 – but was then renamed and restructured last year into an entity involved in the smart city business.

Beijing set to unveil new KHL club

China’s winter sports push continues with arrival of professional ice hockey franchise in the capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in Beijing this weekend and is set to sign around 30 new deals with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the most interesting of all from a sporting perspective will be fresh details about Beijing’s new franchise in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), Russia’s answer to the NHL.

The logo of Beijing’s new KHL team, Red Star Kunlun, was first leaked on Twitter two weeks ago.

The possibility of a Chinese team was first mooted towards the end of last year, but since that time several expected deadlines to finalize details have come and gone with no apparent deal in place. But China Sports Insider has learnt that although details have been in place for several weeks, the official launch of the team – to be known in full as ‘HC Beijing Kunlun Red Star’ (or just ‘Kunlun Red Star’ for short) – has been held until Putin comes to town, so as to make more of a splash with the announcement.

Long road to NBA for Chinese duo

Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin become first Chinese players drafted for nine years, but both face an uphill battle to play in the NBA.

A year ago, ice hockey player Song Andong was touted as China’s next big sporting star after being drafted by the NHL’s New York Islanders, then swiftly promoted as one of the faces of China’s 2022 Winter Olympic Games bid campaign. This spring, it is the turn of two Chinese basketball players, Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin, who were drafted by the NBA’s Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies, respectively.

Zhou Qi at the NBA draft combine

While Song was something of a trailblazer as the first China-born player to be drafted into the NHL, several other Chinese players have previously played in the NBA, with Yao Ming‘s massive footsteps creating a daunting path for Zhou and Wang to follow. In fact, while their draft success gained significant attention back home as the quest for the next Chinese NBA star continues, in the US they were simply seen as two of a very international draft class. This CNBC article, for example, lists 11 countries from which players were drafted without mentioning China.

In contrast to other drafts which have multiple rounds – Song, for instance, was chosen in the sixth round, in the 172nd spot – the NBA has just two rounds of 30 players, making it much harder to be selected. By the time Zhou Qi was taken with the 43rd pick, players from 15 other countries had already been called. Another four nationalities were added before Wang Zhelin’s turn came at No.57.

AC Milan’s Chinese saga nears end as rumor mill grinds on

AC Milan is the latest in a long line of European football targets picked out by Chinese investors – and it won’t be the last.

On the football pitch, the Italians are known for a slow, tactical style that, while effective, can bore an opponent into submission.

Off the pitch, it may also be a similar story.

Rumors about a Chinese bid for AC Milan have been dragging on for over a year with flexible deadlines passing without incident.

While Chinese and Italian tabloids have delighted in quoting each other’s speculation – as if that somehow gives their respective reports more credibility – a veritable laundry list of Chinese entrepreneurs has been dredged up in a quest to put a name to the now common “mysterious Chinese consortium”.

Downer retain Auckland Nines naming rights

Engineering group Downer has kept the naming rights for the National Rugby League’s Auckland Nines for the 2017 and 2018 editions.

The nine-a-side knockout tournament, which is held annually at Eden Park in Auckland, will be known as the Downer Auckland Nines.

Downer first stepped in to take the naming rights of the 2016 edition of the tournament after original sponsor Dick Smith plunged into administration.

“It is particularly pleasing to see a strong brand like Downer supporting rugby league and it will be wonderful to have them back on board for the Nines for the next two years,” said Michael Brown, the NRL’s chief of commercial.

According to the NRL’s official website, the first three editions of the tournament have attracted a total audience of 247,840 people to the ground, and a television audience of 1.4 million.

The 2016 tournament was won by Australian outfit the Parramatta Eels. However, the Eels were later stripped of their title due to a breach of the NRL’s salary cap.

Downer was also the match sponsor of May’s Test match between Australia and New Zealand.

Source: SportsPro

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ARLC approves $1.5m NRL club payment

The Australian Rugby League Commission will give NRL clubs advance payments of $1.5 million despite ongoing talks over a new perpetual licence agreement.

A memorandum of understanding was sent to all clubs in April by the commission which, when signed, required a binding funding agreement to hold each club to a perpetual license to participate in the NRL.

Boosted by the league’s new broadcast deal, the NRL will give each club that signed the MoU an up-front payment of $1.125 million. This will be followed by monthly instalments to reach a total of $1.5 million by October.

ARLC Chairman, John Grant, is quoted in the Canberra Times. “A new perpetual licence is a very significant step forward for the NRL clubs and the game and deserves the appropriate amount of time to be applied to its consideration.

“The commission is aware that clubs have budgeted to receive funding in the current year and believe that by making the advance, any financial pressure they might come under can be removed while we work towards an agreement.

“This funding will be available immediately as a loan against future grant payments to give the clubs the cash flow they need during the negotiation process.”

Source: Canberra Times

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Brisbane Heat switches principal partner

Queensland Cricket has sealed a major partnership with member-based financial services provider CUA.

Interim CEO of Queensland Cricket, Michael Kasprowicz, said: “We consider this to be one of the most significant partnerships that Queensland Cricket has entered into, and so we are very excited about working alongside CUA.

“Cricket is booming in Queensland and throughout Australia so we look forward to continuing to grow our game with the enthusiastic backing of our corporate partners.”

CUA chief, Rob Goudswaard, added: “This agreement will see our two member-based organisations work together for mutual good by promoting sport, family entertainment and grass-roots community activities.

“While giving CUA a real presence in the sporting landscape in Queensland, this will also help raise CUA’s profile nationally, with some 200,000 people attending Brisbane Heat matches last summer and another 5.8 million tuning in to watch them on free-to-air TV.”

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Melbourne City drive away with Nissan partnership

Melbourne City are the first beneficiaries of Football Federation Australia’s decision to allow clubs to sign automotive partners for the upcoming 2016-17 season with the A-League club partnering with Nissan Australia.

Until recently, clubs had not been able to sign automotive partners given the Hyundai’s A-League naming rights deal which began when the A-League debuted in 2005.

As part of Nissan’s brand new official automotive partnership with City, the automaker’s logo will be visible on the sleeve of the A-League team’s home and away jersey and the sleeve of the W-League team’s away jersey. Added to that, strong Nissan branding will be seen at Melbourne City’s home

To further drive the start of the local partnership, the #23 Nissan Nismo Altima Supercar, driven by Nissan Motorsport’s Michael Caruso, will bear Melbourne City branding at this weekend’s Townsville 400 round of the Supercars Championship.

Nissan Australia’s crossover of sporting interests: Melbourne City’s logo on a Nissan Altima Supercar.

Nissan is in the middle of a a five-year global partnership with Melbourne City’s parent company City Football Group. The five-year deal, which began in July 2014, saw Nissan become the first global partner of the company’s football network, an organisation including Nissan majority owned J-League club Yokohama F. Marinos alongside English Premier League club Manchester City and Major League Soccer’s New York City FC.

“Nissan has a global partnership with City Football Group, which includes teams in the UK, Japan and the USA, and today’s announcement is a natural progression of our strong association with, and support of, the world game,” said Richard Emery, Managing Director and CEO of Nissan Australia. “Nissan Australia is excited to work with Melbourne City Football Club to further strengthen both our brands and commitment to Australian sport.”

Melbourne City FC CEO, Scott Munn, added: “Nissan are, like us, committed to sustainability and innovation and that translates in a very real way to benefits for Melbourne City fans.

“This partnership will see a range of promotions and activities that bring fans closer to Melbourne City and to Nissan. By support for both the men’s and the women’s team, Nissan is demonstrating a real and deep commitment to, and passion for, football.”

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Sydney to host 2018 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships

Sydney has won the hosting rights to the 2018 International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) World Championship.

Twelve teams will be competing for the Championships which will be played at Sydney’s Olympic Park from August 4-10, 2018.

“IWRF is excited to bring our Wheelchair Rugby World Championship to Australia for the first time. Australia is a strong competitor with a long history in our sport, having participated in every World Championship and Paralympic Games competition,” said IWRF President John Bishop.

“Many of us have great memories of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, and we look forward to coming back to the Sydney Olympic Park and the great sports fans of Australia. DSA put together an excellent bid and I am confident they will give us a fantastic World Championship.”

The successful bid was submitted by Disability Sports Australia (DSA), which made a formal announcement at the 2016 GIO Fierce 4 Rugby Wheelchair Rugby Nationals in Sydney.

“The success of our bid is a milestone for Australian sport and comes with significant support from our partners the Australian Rugby Union and Australian Defence Force,” says Jenni Cole, CEO of DSA.

“We are delighted that the championship will bring the world’s most elite wheelchair rugby competition to the Australian public.”

Sydney was the host of the 2000 Paralympic Games, the first time Wheelchair Rugby had full medal status at a Paralympic Games. Australia is the current World and Paralympic Champion, having taken the Gold medals in London in 2012 and Odense in 2014.

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