The government wants to increase the number of football schools to 20,000 by 2020. The Chinese president wants to see China as an elite football nation.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Chinese government has announced its intention to increase the number of football schools to 20,000 by 2020 and to 50,000 by 2025.
China’s Xinhua news agency said that the country had 13,381 “special football schools” – which are typically attached to public primary and middle schools. The goal is make China a football powerhouse.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is a football fan and has expressed a desire to see China host and win the World Cup.
Last year, the government adopted a plan that would make China’s national team a top contender by 2050.
The plan includes investment of up to US$ 900 billion to expand, update, and increase the number of football schools, making it part of the school curriculum and turn China into an elite football nation.
Currently, China’s national team is ranked 81st and qualified only once, in 2002, but it was eliminated in the first round.
Chinese interest in football has led to Chinese companies investing huge amounts of money in foreign teams. For example, Chinese interests now own 70 per cent and 48 per cent of two major Italian teams, Inter Milan and Milan. Chinese companies have also bought 13 per cent of Manchester City and 20 per cent of Atletico Madrid.
Chinese teams have also bought major international players, like Brazil’s Oscar (for more than US$ 80 million), Ramires (US$ 30 million), Gervinho (US$ 20 million), Fredy Guarín (US$ 14 million) and others.
In 2012 Marcello Lippi, a former coach of Italy’s national team and Juventus, accepted an offer of more than US$ 32 million to coach the Guangzhou team for three years.