China is on a mission to become a recognizable force in world football. But will the extravagant transfer activity of Chinese clubs, poaching some of Europe's finest talent, help the country improve in real footballing terms?
Sitting at 81st in FIFA's world rankings with other minnows, China holds an ambition many would currently describe as a long shot. That, however, is set to change following Chinese President Xi Jinping's desire to host and win the World Cup--one that indicates state support in football development.
Economic boom is contingent to the growing wealth of Chinese clubs, all of which recognize the commercial power football brings to the world. And what better way to become better in football than acquiring some of Europe's best talent on the pitch, no matter the cost?
That approach has led to the upsurge in high-profile transfers from European club. Carlos Tevez, who had prolific goal scoring exploits in both the Premier League and Serie A, jumped into the Chinese football bandwagon via a £600,000 weekly wage offer from Shanghai Shenhua, The Telegraph reported.
Such an offer, which included a £71.6 million transfer fee, has made Tevez the world's best-played player. Until recently, that title has long been reserved for players in Europe's top leagues, but that speaks volumes about China's desire to become a football powerhouse.
Other players like Oscar from Chelsea and Graziano Pelle from Southampton have been lured to the Far East in mega-money deals, and more is expected to come in future transfer windows. But one can only speculate when will the gravy train of massive football money in China will ever stop.
Xi's ongoing anticorruption drive proves to be an influential factor, considering its emphasis on austerity. With talks that overspending Chinese clubs are wrought with corrupt practices such as money laundering, they no longer exist as subtle blips on the Chinese government's radar, The Guardian said.
Plus, marketability emerges as a priority as far as acquiring popular foreign talent is concerned. But investment on skills may suffer consequently due to limited chances and lack of dedicated focus on training homegrown talents - what more if the foreigners become disillusioned and walk away?
Furthermore, the investors must monitor their investments closely and wisely. For instance, middlemen in Chinese football tend to walk away with huge sums of the inflated transfer fee--a factor that may affect football's integrity in China that may ward off current and prospective investments.