BEIJING - Premiership champions Chelsea have big plans for China after signing their first commercial contract here this week but do not expect to quickly find a football-playing version of basketball's Yao Ming.
Dubbed the Great Wall of China, the Houston Rockets star is wildly popular and is credited with helping boost the commercial success of the US National Basketball Association league in his home country.
However, Chinese football players in England have failed to make a similar impact.
Of five football players from China currently with Premiership clubs, only Manchester City's Sun Jihai has managed to hold down a regular first team place.
Another Chinese player, national team captain Zheng Zhi, is the latest export and joined Charlton on loan this week, but the time has not yet come for Chelsea to consider a Chinese player, club CEO Peter Kenyon said here Monday.
"There is talent in China but the quality of players is not quite there yet. For China to be a successful export market, football must be successful in China first," he said.
To develop local talent, Chelsea are in a partnership with the Chinese Football Association to train grassroots players and are expected to announce further steps to help improve playing standards here this week.
Kenyon said Chelsea would be running training camps in China and sending coaches here to improve standards. Also, China's under-23 team will be invited to train at Chelsea later this year.
Chelsea are also drawn to China for other reasons. The London club has been looking for a serious business partner in China for 18 months.
On Monday they finally signed an agreement with top Chinese Internet portal Sina.com to become the first premiership club to set up a website in Chinese run from China.
"China has been first because of the fact that it is the largest market and has most potential," said Kenyon at the website launch here.
"But we have parallel projects in (South) Korea and Japan and we have started a process in the next big market, a surprise to many people, which is India."
The website (www.chelsea.sina.com.cn) will carry translated content from Chelsea's official website (www.chelseafc.com) as well as original content for the Chinese market.
Known more for cricket and hockey than football, India is a surprise target for Chelsea's strategy to expand its appeal across Asia.
Paul Smith, Chelsea's group business affairs director, was in India 10 days ago discussing potential deals for what he said was a long-term project.
"The emerging Indian middle class are looking to assert themselves by identifying with something other than cricket and the indications are they are looking at football, with its sexy European image, as something to follow," he said.
"It is very much a fledgling level of support but we have the advantage of being the first in the market."
He said that Chelsea's profile was set to get a boost in the subcontinent from Bollywood, which is producing a new movie, whose popular star is depicted on screen as a big fan of the Blues.
"Bollywood is huge in India so we expect some spin-off," he said.
Chelsea's involvement in Asia is part of Kenyon's plan launched in 2004 to make his club the world's more recognizable brand in football within 10 years.
It started with a huge shirt sponsorship deal with South Korean conglomerate Samsung in 2005.
"But if we were to be internationally recognized, then we had to be in China," said Kenyon.
- AFP/ir
chelsea will buy some china player and let them rot.. just like dong fang zhuo of man u
china is the most populated country in the world. sign just to sell jerseys