April 1 – Espanyol Barcelona have signed a strategic partnership with Chinese football school San Gao FC, expanding their operations in China. Atletico Madrid and the DFL also have plans to tap into the Chinese market.
March 26 – The Premier League will play its pre-season Asia Trophy in Nanjing and Shanghai in China this July with Manchester City headlining the four-team line-up.
March 25 – Italy’s football federation (FIGC) signed an agreement with the Chinese government on Sunday to develop footballing ties between the two countries but stopped short of agreeing to play Serie A matches there.
March 4 – LaLiga reinforced its commitment to Chinese expansion over the weekend with president Javier Tebas in the country for the opening day of the Chinese Super League (CSL) season.
February 22 – The third edition of the China Cup from March 21-25 in Nanning will kick off with a rerun of the January Asian Cup last-16 encounter between China and Thailand.
February 21 – Spanish clubs are pushing deeper into China via an expanded social media presence with the help if LaLiiga.
By Paul Nicholson
February 20 – City Football Group (CFG) has confirmed the seventh edition to its stable of football clubs with a position in the ownership group of Sichuan Jiuniu FC in China.
February 13 – UEFA has expanded its digital presence in China setting up a new Champions League platform on WeChat – the Chinese multi-purpose messaging and social media app.
February 1 – The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has signed a deal with Chinese company Kingdomway to promote youth football development over the next 15 years by transferring knowledge and know-how to China.
China 0 Iran 3
By Paul Nicholson in Abu Dhabi
January 24 – Earlier in the Chinese dancers had put on a display of poise and elegance in the Fan Zone on Abu Dhabi’s Corniche. Come the evening it was Iran’s turn to turn on the style as they terrorised China’s lead-footed defence running out 3-0 winners, setting up a semi-final clash with Japan.
By Abdelaziz Abuhamar
January 24 – Two times 2nd place, three times 3rd place and three times 4th place is the Asian Cup history, but for Marcello Lippi’s Chinese who meet Iran today at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup quarter final.
By Abdelaziz Abuhamar
January 15 – Chinese striker Yu Dabao has made AFC Asian Cup history by scoring the fastest goal-ever in the history of the continental tournament by a substitute.
China 2 Philippines 0
January 11 – Two goals superbly taken goals from sparkling Chinese starlet Wu Lei were ultimately the difference between China, who have qualified for the round of 16 with a group game to go, and a battling Philippines who have yet to win a point or score a goal in their debut Asian Cup finals.
December 21 – The Chinese FA has slapped a comprehensive set of financial controls on its Super League and professional clubs covering money that can be spent owners on their teams, player salaries and even player bonuses for winning competitions.
December 10 – Chinese Super League Jiangsu Suning have signed Korean electronics brand Samsung as a main sponsor for three seasons starting with the 2019 season.