By Andrew Warshaw
October 3 – Western criticism of China’s human rights record will not dissuade the country from pressing ahead with its bid to host the World Cup.
China’s football-mad President Xi Jinping is backing a comprehensive programme to transform the country into a world football power by 2050. Well before then, China hopes to stage the World Cup, possibly in 2030, and eventually to win it. But just as before hosting the Olympic Games in 2008, the country faces intense scrutiny.
“It’s just something we have to face,” Li Jiuquan, marketing chief at the Chinese football federation, told reporters on the sidelines of the recent Soccerex conference in Manchester. “Human rights is something some people want to use to attack you.”
“But if you are really in China, you will get more knowledge of China and maybe you will think differently. China is now very open and wants people – especially foreign people – to get to know China, to have the correct concept.”
In July, China’s emerging influence in world football took another decisive step with the announcement that real estate, entertainment and sports conglomerate Wanda had struck a deal with FIFA to host an annual ‘China Cup’ tournament early in 2017 featuring its national team plus three other as yet unannounced international sides.
Wanda, which is now a top-tier FIFA sponsor, said it would invite “first-class national teams from Europe and the Americas,” to Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, so that China could learn from playing against high-quality opposition.
Li confirmed that the tournament has been slated for January but conceded the release of players could be a thorny issue. “We knew about this problem when the tournament was first mentioned and right now I’m not sure how to solve it. But we expect strong teams from Europe and both Americas,” he said.
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