赔了夫人又折兵的足球赞助
卡马乔悄悄地走了，正如他悄悄地来。他连衣袖都懒得挥一下，因为他腋下汗渍惊人，更因为他可以轻松卷走645万欧元。
卡马乔连临别赠言都没有，因为他压根就没有”临别”过。输给泰国青年队后，卡马乔回到了西班牙，和中国足协所谓”双方同意结束合作关系”后，他的律师7月1日来到北京，轻松利落地拿下未来一年半卡马乔和他教练团队全额薪资——这是国内媒体的报道。中国足协连一个官员都没有出面和对方律师面谈，只是派出了三个律师，其中一人为中国足协工作人员。大连万达集团代表石雪清也参加了会谈。
没有临别赠言，遗言还是有的。据说在足协内部的总结会上，卡马乔留下的信件被宣读，指出中国足球需要更好的竞争意识，微言大义，普通人听不明白。大家能听懂的是，中国国家队一场耻辱性的失败后，主教练被解雇，但解雇的时候，中国足协罕见地表现出干云豪气，和对方律师交手一个回合，便允诺全额赔偿对方团队薪金。根据国内媒体报道，这645万欧元折合成的5150万人民币，全都会由”全面支持中国足球”的万达集团支付，但薪资之外，还有2500万人民币的税费产生，这笔钱自然会着落在中国足协身上。
大连万达因为”全面支持”，而将自己弄成了冤大头。王健林当初潇洒退出中国足球，让徐明收拾摊子，转身做大万达，前度刘郎今又来时，没想到会颓败至此。这样的”全面支持”赞助行为，对企业知名度毫无帮助，美誉度极大受损，政治公关的效果，显而易见同样糟糕——有传言说王老板两年前重返足坛，不是高层间接授意、就是王老板体贴上意，但看到卡马乔混乱指挥下的中国队混乱惨败，领导会对这样的赞助做何感想？
连带出来很多负面的消息，还将让万达形象受损。例如最初为什么要在那样莫名其妙的时间节点，炒掉高洪波，然后着急忙慌地签下赋闲当中的卡马乔？在广大公众千夫所指之中，也有将矛头对向万达者，认为万达鸠占鹊巢、代足协做了这么一次主。对于这样的指责，王健林愤怒，可现在的回辩已经没有意义，因为在中国足球一团黑幕之下，参与者没有能独善其身者。即便同为房地产公司的广州恒大，看似和中国足协、国家队没有直接关联，然而国脚三分之一来自恒大、恒大四名球员落选新一期国家队，多少和此前”国脚出工不出力、俱乐部利益侵蚀国家队”有了隐形关联。
覆巢之下，安有完卵？赞助足球，如果不是与这项运动的发展完全结合，真正具备与中国足球一道成长的社会公众之心，潜在的赞助风险，实在太大。
中国足球的赞助商，或者投资人，究竟又有几个，是从发展中国足球的角度来进行投入的？很难辨析，不过有着明显的功利目的，甚至是为了捞政治资本、企图谋得政府公关机会者，比比皆是。这样的投资和赞助足球，短期内投领导所好，当然可能得到一些好处，小到一片地一段时间减免税，大到鸡犬升天，然而动机不纯的投资赞助，在足球本身得不到健康发展的前提下，都不可能达成真正良性效果。
体育营销至今仍是全球市场营销活动中的主体部分，但是在一个不尊重体育、从来都是将体育当作移花接木工具的市场里，体育营销往往可能结出卡马乔和万达这样的恶果。
Dalian Wanda’s disastrous football sponsorship
A Spanish lawyer arrived in Beijing on July 1, the legal representative of former Team China manager Camacho, to sort out the contractual situation with China Football Association (CFA). The strangest thing happened in the negotiation, none of the CFA heads appeared, just three lawyers representing the CFA, and another representative from Dalian Wanda Group, the real estate developer who sponsored CFA for international coach recruits.
This problem for the CFA over the sacking of Camacho is that he still had another 18 months on this contract. There were no quarrels or arguments during the negotiation and the CFA had to pay Camacho and his assistant team of four the full package: all together €6.45 million. Beyond that figure, CFA is also liable for almost €3 million of tax.
Dalian Wanda Group would be paying Camacho’s remaining 18 months on the contract, the tax remains the CFA’s responsibility. When the news broke, another huge wave of anger spread among the social media networks. The famous joke linked CFA with the recently found guilty former GM of the National High Speed Railway Company: “The difference is that the GM of NHSRC embezzled a big sum of money but got the railways done, CFA wasted a big sum of money and kept China football in deep shit…”
Dalian Wanda is one of the leading real estate companies in China, and built its national brand awareness in football long before the upstart Guangzhou EverGrande. Dalian Wanda was the owner of Dalian FC, the club they gave to Xu Ming, another controversial businessman who is currently in prison. Wanda had distanced itself from football for more than ten years, and only as late as in 2011, when there were clear signs from the highest political echelons of strong interests in football, that Wanda revived their warmth towards football.
In 2011, there was a big announcement from Wanda for a ‘Total Support Scheme for China Football’, in which operation they contributed about €60 million to the CFA, for international coach recruitments, title sponsor of the China Super League as well as youth development. The CSL is now called the Wanda Plaza CSL.
However, the investment in international coach recruitment backfired terribly with this failure in Camacho. Rumors were that Wanda made the decision of nominating Camacho at a very awkward time: six weeks before Team China’s participation in the qualification group matches for World Cup 2014. Wanda denied this accusation vehemently, but the damage is done, and this sponsorship didn’t bring any positives to the brand reputation of Wanda.
The contractual clauses were unusual, to a certain extent. Just 12 months before Team China confirmed Camacho as the head coach of the national team, Guangzhou EverGrande did talk to Camacho, wondering if he would become the club’s technical director, and the salary for an unemployed Camacho was about €1.5 million. In 12 months, everything changed. Camacho failed on this international job, but the same could not be said about his financial situation.
Team China has regrouped again, and is preparing for the East Asian Cup in a month’s time, and with a Chinese football coach, Fu Bo, named as the interim head coach for this event only. There are a number of players left out of the latest national team, including four players from Guangzhou EverGrande who played in the disastrous match against Thailand. More detail needs to be investigated regarding that match, whether the players were put under pressure by their clubs to take it easy whist playing in the national team, but these are now none of Camacho’s concerns – he is resting in the sunshine of Spain.
John Yan is Deputy Editor of Netease.com