By Mark Baber
March 22 – As China’s Wanda steps in as one of FIFA’s top-level sponsors, its chairman Wang Jianlin says two more Chinese companies will sign up as FIFA partners this year.
Wang said: “As far as I know, if everything goes smoothly, another two Chinese companies will become FIFA’s top-level sponsors this year.”
Further confirmation of Chinese willingness to step in, where Western companies fear to tread, will be music to the ears of new FIFA President Gianni Infantino who has taken over as FIFA face a $100 million financial black hole due to the failure of major brands to renew their partnerships.
FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil confirmed that the federation would strike deals with other Chinese companies in the future saying, “China is an important country” to the growth of football.
With the FIFA scandal having received far less exposure in the Chinese media, and with the countries leadership committed to making China one of the major powers within soccer, the misgivings of Western companies are a boon for Chinese companies and Wang did not mince his words saying: “Two or three years ago, Chinese and Asian companies probably wouldn’t even have had a chance to sponsor FIFA, even if we wanted to.”
“But because some Western companies dropped out, we got the opportunity. To my knowledge, another Chinese company will become a FIFA top sponsor soon. If there are no surprises, there will be three Chinese top-level sponsors by the end of the year.
“If more Chinese brother companies become FIFA sponsors like Wanda, we will join forces to advance the interests of China soccer.”
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Bai Qiang, founder of Beijing-based soccer tutoring startup Dong Ba, said Wanda’s strategy will likely attract other Chinese companies, calling the $100 million a year price of FIFA sponsorship a small price to pay to be associated with FIFA at a time when the sport is taking off within the country.
Another Chinese company, Yingli Green Energy Holding, had a sponsorship role during the 2010 World Cup, but the addition of three top-level Chinese sponsors to the FIFA roster would certainly be a great leap forward for China’s presence at football’s top table.
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