Day -858. WorldCup2018.
Don't be surprised if World Cup 2026 is handed to China. All of a sudden that's where all the money is. And it's big money. The MLS in the the U.S. and Canada thought it could become the league to compete with Europe by attracting big name players like Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Didier Drogba. Big names, but also quite high in the age category and pretty much at the end of their careers. So while Los Angeles celebrate their latest ex-England player addition to their team, 35 year old Ashley Cole (who couldn't get a game at Rome anymore), football supporters in China are looking forward to welcoming yet another Brazilian player in his prime.
Liverpool made a £24m offer to Shakhtar Donetsk for Alex Teixeira. A couple of days later he was off to Jiangsu Suning in China for £38m, joining his new teammate Ramirez, signed from Chelsea for £25m. And they will be playing against Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao's latest recruit Jackson Martinez, another much sought after player who left Atletico Madrid, fighting to win the Spanish league. Together with a number of other South American players and marquee coaches like Sven Goran Eriksson and "Big Phil" Scolari, China is looking like the place to be if you are a footballer who wants to make serious money.
Arsene Wenger, when asked if Premier League clubs in England should be worried about the amount of money Chinese clubs are spending on players, said:
"China looks to have the financial power to move the whole league of Europe to China."
He also pointed out that Japan did this a number of years ago but it didn't last. But there is one big difference in China. There is political motivation. President Xi is a huge football fan and he is behind this football revolution. Not only are big Chinese companies investing money in football teams, schools are now focusing on football.
There was also the story last week that the Chinese company, Ledman, that sponsors the Chinese Super League will be the sponsor of the Portuguese second division. They were forced to back down from their original plan to force teams to use Chinese players but there will be payments to clubs for using Chinese players and assistant coaches.
Big money and political backing from the country's President are the two perfect combinations for a World Cup bid. Russia, Qatar, anybody? But that was old Fifa. Let's see what new Fifa does, with their brand new, different way of thinking president. Right. But I've been flogging that dead horse too much recently.
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