Soccer investment to help local game

With Chinese capital flooding into the European soccer market, investors hope that part of their return will be improved training for youth at home.

Amid a Chinese buying spree of top European clubs, a consortium led by businessmen Li Jian and Zheng Nanyan announced on Tuesday that it has purchased an 80-percent stake in French Ligue 1 club OGC Nice, becoming the first Chinese majority owner of a top-tier French club.

The club's current president, Jean-Pierre Rivere, will remain in the post to manage the club, which finished fourth last season, while the Chinese owners will provide funding and strategic support for further development and promotion, especially in China.

Zheng, president of hotel-management company Plateno Group, has confidence that the multi-million-euro investment will boost Plateno's sports tourism business while helping to upgrade China's youth soccer development by introducing French training expertise.

"The Nice club is famous for its unique youth training system, which has produced an abundant supply of French national team players. With access to its operations, we can observe and translate part of its know-how," Zheng said on Tuesday.

Li, founder and CEO of New City Capital in the hospitality industry, said the club's new training center to be completed next year will be available for young Chinese players.

The club plans to open a soccer academy featuring tailor-made curriculum and training methods in China next year, while future exhibition tours to China are expected as well, said Zheng.

"Despite being relatively unknown in China at the moment, we believe we can build the club's identity as an incubator for future stars by working with Chinese partners and authorities in youth programs," Rivere said.

The purchase of Nice was the latest in a series of European club acquisitions by Chinese investors inspired by the country's ambitious plan to become a world soccer powerhouse by 2050.

The plan was approved by the central government in April with support from President Xi Jinping, who is an avid soccer fan.

Last month, Chinese retail giant Suning Commerce Group agreed to acquire a 68.5 percent stake in Italian top-league club Inter Milan in a deal worth 270 million euros ($301 million).

That followed Chinese businessman Xia Jiantong's 100 percent purchase of English club Aston Villa for a reported 70 million pounds ($92 million) in May.

Zhang Qing, founder of Key-Solution sports consultancy, said the sudden interest by Chinese investors in soccer assets overseas make sense in the context of China maintaining its economic growth with contributions from the sports industry.

"With the country rolling out its soccer revitalization plan, youth training programs, soccer-themed tourism trips overseas and club merchandising and accommodation could potentially pay back investors with economic rewards," he said.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn