Asian Players? Chelsea Says No, We Say Maybe…
July 29, 2008
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Earlier this month we profiled the fortunes of United’s Chinese player Dong Fangzhuo.
Dong, if you remember, was recruited from northern Chinese side Dalian Shide in 2004 to much fanfare in the Chinese press and widespread scepticism in the English press.
The English press claimed Dong’s recruitment was a marketing gimmick, a well-timed but nonetheless brazenly mercenary act of marketing to the detriment of United’s footballing ethos.
Dong struggled to secure a work permit and was farmed out to Antwerp for a couple of seasons before finally securing a place in the first team squad at United. However, the hapless Chinese striker has managed only three apperances in his two years in Manchester and looks certain to leave sooner rather
than later.
Irrespective of Dong’s personal failings (or lack of opportunity) the press reaction that preceded his arrival pretty much summed up the West’s attitudes to Asian football in general and Chinese football in particular. For all too many in the backward English press it was inconceivable that a Chinese player could make it at the very top of the English game.
But does that judgment have any basis in fact?
Chinese players such as Sun Jihai, Li Tie and Zheng Zhiyi have all made reasonable impressions on the Premier League and Championship at some point, but no English side has yet unearthed a real Chinese footballing superstar.
Are they any out there one wonders? There are popular and famous footballers in China but nobody with the stellar profiles of icons such as Yao Ming (Houston Rockets basketball player) and Liu Xiang (the Olympic hurdler.)
If we put aside the Chinese for a moment and consider the rest of Asia, the vaguely xenophobic
assessments of European football journos look much harder to justify. Japanese players such as Hidetoshi Nakata, Shunsuke Nakamura and Shinji Ono have all had very successful careers in Europe.
Then we have our very own Park Ji Sung - a massive star in his home country - a firm favourite at United and a player who delivers consistent quality and effort. Some still find it hard to fathom why he was left out of the squad for the Champions League Final.
The issue of Asian players in English football cropped up again today as Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon (feel free to throw stuff at the screen, readers) outlined his take on the matter:
“Our view is that the selection of our players is the ability to be in the Chelsea team,” he told AFP (news agency)
“What drives Chelsea is success on the field, so we are not interested in gimmicks. We are not interested in having, say, an American or an Asian in the team because it represents another revenue stream, if you like.”
When he was asked whether he thought there was an Asian player capable of making the Chelsea squad, he replied: “I’m not sure there is one.
“This isn’t anti-Asian, but just the competitive nature of the game.”
“We have 23 players and over the last few years have seen the best from many countries — and they’ve not been able to get in our team.”
Kenyon’s observations bring us finally to the point of this post (we know…you were wondering whether there was one. Me too…Ed)
Earlier today. we made the observation that United (or any other team for that matter) had to either make greater efforts to recruit local players or had to instil their foreign recruits with a sense of local identity, foster a loyalty to the team and not just the pay packet.
We firmly believe local recruitment is a major factor in maintaining the team’s success and core
identity. However, it is impossible to argue with the fact that a team’s continued success in the modern game is predicated on two factors:
i) on-field success - playing attracting football and winning
ii) market penetration (stop giggling at the back…)
In light of that second factor should it not therefore be incumbent on ambitious clubs to actively seek out a superstar from the new emerging markets ?
If a Premier League team could unearth a real Chinese superstar, for example, how quickly would they march ahead of rival clubs in that potentially massive market?
Food for thought, indeed.
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2 Responses to “Asian Players? Chelsea Says No, We Say Maybe…”
What Do YOU Think ? Leave A Comment:
Nah - i sort of take your point: having a really good say CHinese player would help massively in boosting the profile in that country, but, unless they are really top notch and deserve to be in the team on their own merits then it shouldn;t be considered.
I fyou can find a Chinese player who really dazzles tho then it could be a possibility
As a Chinese I can say there are no really GREAT chinese player yet but i think one day soon thinks will change abd maybe we would even have somebody play every time for manchester or cheslea