He is rich, both in money and in ideas. The former are many, the latter are clear. The subject in question, recently under the spotlight of the world press, is Xu Jiayin, Chinese tycoon and owner of the Guangzhou Evergrande football team in Canton. A successful real estate entrepreneur, he has been called the Abramovich of China for his huge investments with which he wins local and foreign footballers.
“I want to win everything that can be won”, are his words, today the championship, tomorrow the AFC Champions League, the Far Eastern Champions Cup. But a competitive team isn't enough to win, and the search for a coach to direct the project of the Chinese tycoon, number 754 in the Forbes billionaires ranking, begins.
Xu Jiayin has already made his choice, Marcello Lippi he is the man of dreams, in China the former national team coach is still esteemed for his leadership skills. Now we have to see if the world champion coach in 2006 will want to get back into the game and start from scratch. According to the local press, the negotiation is underway and if it fails, the second choice is another big name, Guus Hiddink, current coach of Russia.
After Zaccheroni to the Japanese national team, another old glory of Italian football could choose the Far East, where the pressure is less and the money is much more.
Xu Jiayin is causing a lot of talk about himself, attracting both admiration and criticism, for months he has in fact started an unprecedented acquisition campaign in the People's Republic, tens of millions to win foreign talent, especially Brazilians. Although the Chinese championship is not an attractive destination for international football stars, some players could be attracted by the dizzying figures that the Chinese millionaire wants to invest in bookings and signings. Someone has already arrived, all from Brazil, here are the new signings of Guanghzou Evergrande, the center forward Muriqui (paid 3,5 million dollars), the forward Cleo (4,5 million) and above all the Argentine Dario Conca, paid 10 million to Fluminense, a dream contract for him: 7 million dollars a year. These are the grafts that will add to the already competitive formation of Canton, which after a turbulent period, is first in the standings of the Chinese top flight.
In a country that is recently discovering the joys and economic potential of football, the Abramovich d'Oriente project appears ambitious and revolutionary. It would be curious if from today we had to start worrying about the Chinese advance also for football, perhaps the last remaining bastion.
