GUANGZHOU, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The German Bundesliga is striving to be the European football league of choice for Chinese fans, and is willing to share their hands-on experience, according to Patrick Stueber, the Bundesliga's chief representative in China.
Aiming to be first in China
Six Bundesliga teams have opened China offices since 2017, outnumbering any other of Europe's top five football leagues.
"The long term goal for us is very clear, which was also mentioned by our CEO Robert Klein. The Bundesliga is aiming to be the number one league in China. We are in competition, of course, not only with the other leagues, but also with other sports properties and entertainment products, because we're living today in an entertainment world," Stueber told Xinhua here on Tuesday.
In addition to battling with other European leagues for the affectations of Chinese fans, the Bundesliga also has to contend with the Chinese Super League on the latter's home soil.
As for competition in entertainment products, the Bundesliga is spearheading the independent production model.
"If you see the whole value chain from the production of the games to the sales of the rights, we're doing everything in-house. This is very unique for the Bundesliga. No other league is doing this."
"We've already prepared for 5G. We are now also producing 4k and testing 8k in Germany. We want to be innovative, but there still needs to be the demand from the market," he added.
Bring in Chinese players from a sports perspective
So far, six Bundesliga clubs have set up offices in China - Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt in Beijing, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Monchengladbach and Schalke 04 in Shanghai - and a Beijing-based office of the Bundesliga itself opened this March, maintaining close contact with all relevant clubs to guarantee an equal sharing of resources.
"Our main focus is on political cooperation and also on broadcast platforms. Every club has its own agenda and strategy, which is absolutely fine and fair enough. There's a willingness for all six clubs and also for us to do something together in the market to join forces," Stueber said.
Signing a Chinese footballer is the one of the quickest ways for overseas leagues and clubs to capitalize on the Chinese market, as evidenced by the effect of Wu Lei's move to Spanish side Espanyol in January 2019.
"Everyone has the same goal - to find a Chinese player who can make it to the league. The decision must be made from a sporting perspective, not from a marketing perspective, because if he's not sufficient enough to play in the first eleven and be in the squad, he will not continue to be relevant to the team."
"Wu Lei is a very good example that there are [good] players in China. Maybe it needs some time to develop them but I completely agree this is the best promotion you can get to have such a player," commented Stueber.
Hosting a World Cup can propel Chinese football
Having hosted the Olympic Games in 2008 and with the 2022 Winter Olympics also on the way, hosting the FIFA World Cup is high on the list of China's future grand sporting ambitions.
"The 2006 World Cup in our country in Germany was a big success, not only for the sporting sector, but also to our country. The image of Germany has changed completely since then. Our clubs, governments and Bundesliga associations have invested a lot in stadiums and infrastructure. We have modern stadiums which allow our clubs to be successful in terms of revenue," Stueber said.
China already has several modern, high-capacity stadiums across the country, and both Chinese fans and the goverment are supportive of hosting a FIFA World Cup on home soil, though Stueber cautioned that the process may take some time.
"That's not a development coming overnight. I just talked about our experience in Germany. It takes some time and maybe step-by-step, and I think the 2023 Asian Cup to be hosted in this country will be a big chance for China."
