Six months after leading Chelsea to their first Champions League triumph, Didier Drogba returned to London last month to present a number of his teammates with commemorative rings to honour that fateful night in Bavaria. In total, the rings were rumoured to have cost the striker in excess of $800,000, which, given his current wage packet, is slightly above his monthly salary, thereby maintaining the time honoured tradition of spending a month’s pay on a ring (or in this case, rings) for the one you love!
The intervening period, following the Iviorian’s departure, has seen a lot of change for the west London outfit. The biggest alteration to the SW6 landscape was undoubtedly, the decision by Chelsea owner; Roman Abramovich to dispense with the services of manager Roberto Di Matteo in November. Similarly, the ongoing contractual negotiations, or lack thereof, with Frank Lampard indicate that there may well be a significant changing of the guard at Stamford Bridge in the coming months and, in many ways, Drogba’s decision to relocate to Shanghai last July may be an extremely well-calculated adjudication, but why Shanghai Shenhua? And more importantly, what distinguishing features of the Ivorian’s sporting and personal profile appealed so much to the Chinese Superleague (CSL) outfit that they were willing to part with almost £200,000 per week for his services? To better understand this question, it is necessary for us to contextualize the position that China now holds at the top table of global super-powers.
The past decade has seen a plethora of both state-owned and private sector Chinese companies investing heavily in Africa. It is estimated that Chinese investment throughout the continent currently exceeds$40 billion, in addition, there are reportedly over 2,000 Chinese companies with investment projects in the region, the majority of whom are engaged in the manufacturing, mining and construction industries. Initially, much of this investment was concentrated in the resource-rich countries of Angola, Nigeria, Sudan and South Africa in order to facilitate the domestic manufacturing demands of the fastest growing economy in the world. However, since 2007, a significant proportion of this investment has spread to other regions across Africa and has also evolved so as to incorporate a number of secondary and tertiary industries such as aviation, tourism and television.
This expansion was, to a large degree, amplified by the Chinese government’s commitment to a more progressively outward-looking approach to issues of an economic and political perspective since the turn of the century, as well as that, the global economic downturn that beset many of the traditional economic powerhouses of Europe and North America in 2008 meant that they had far fewer opportunities for investment in Africa. This has resulted in a very visible upsurge in trade volumes for companies within the two regions and this allied to the formation and strengthening of economic and political bonds between China and respective governments in Africa, has resulted in the creation of a new and alternative dynamic to the international relations playing field.
The proliferation and creation of a new block of global superpowers has also had a tangible impact on the world of football. The era of billionaire tycoons purchasing clubs in leagues throughout the world is, most definitely, a 21st century phenomenon and one which has been particularly prominent among the wealthiest strands of the emerging global economies – it is therefore no great surprise that the Chinese Superleague has increased its profile so much in recent years.
The last eighteen months has seen the steady migration eastwards of a number of top-tier European based footballers in the autumn of their careers and, for the most part, the Chinese Superleague has been the primary destination for these players. The influx of international players and managers of the caliber of Nicolas Anelka, Seydou Keita and world cup winning coach Marcelo Lippi has certainly raised the profile of the CSL and football in general in the region, but it is the significant African contingent now plying their trade in the CSL that has garnered the most interest among football commentators both in Europe and around the world.
In addition to the acquisition of Drogba and Keita – two former champions league winners with Chelsea and Barcelona respectively – CSL side Beijing Guoan also attracted the Malian international, and former Spurs and West Ham striker, Freddie Kanoute to the nation’s capital city, while the much travelled Nigerian international Yakubu Aiyegbeni signed a three year deal with Guangzhou R&F last June. There is little doubt, that these high-profile signings have increased the media and public interest in the CSL and their African origin has most certainly contributed to the ongoing ‘special relationship’ between both regions, but what impact has it had on the grassroots of the game in the world’s fastest growing economy, and what lasting legacy will their time in China leave on a population who have yet to be completely converted to the beautiful game?
China’s position as a global power in the fields of university attainment, economic development and Olympic medals means that it must be slightly difficult for their national football team to locate the positives in their current world ranking of 86, which, ironically, is lower than African teams such as Angola, Uganda and South Africa, who have, most likely, benefitted to some degree from China’s continued investment in their respective states. In addition, the team affectionately known as ‘Team Dragon’ has only managed to reach the FIFA World Cup on one occasion – this occurred in 2002 when fellow Asian nations Japan and South Korea hosted the tournament; thereby increasing the Asian participation rate and the current squad contains no instantly recognizable names. There have been some silver linings of late however, with the current squad breaking back into the top five in Asia for the first time in eighteen months but such achievements seem trivial in comparison to the figures being invested in the wages of foreign players in the CSL on a weekly basis.
There are a number of competing hypotheses that attempt to explain why China has failed so emphatically to incorporate football into their national and sporting landscape, but one more than most tends to reappear as an explanation in this regard. The cultural disposition towards achieving academic excellence is so strong in China that it leaves time for little else, especially something as time consuming as participation in football teams. This point is exacerbated even further by the single-child policy that places additional pressure on the only son or daughter to achieve a university place so as to acquire a higher-paid job that will help support his parents later in life.
Given the nation’s incompatibility with the global game, it is perhaps a little surprising that Shanghai Shenhua owner, Zhu Jun, and his CSL counterparts have agreed to spend such vast sums of money on bringing such international starts to the Far East. Perhaps, it is their laissez- faire approach to increasing the profile and popularity of the game, but with 2012 average attendances for CSL still shy of20,000, this does not appear to be the case. Add in the sub-standard nature of the infrastructure within the league and the lingering stigma attached to the match fixing controversy of 2002-2005 and it is apparent that it is going to take more than a high-profile transfer quick-fix to remedy the ills of China’s fractious relationship with football.
This is particularly true of Shenhua, as it appears Zhu Jun has not only employed Chelsea’s former striking partnership but has also absorbed a lot from the autocratic nature of club owner; Roman Abromovich. In recent months, Zhu has raised his claim for ‘autocrat of the year’ by sacking former manager Jean Tiganaon a matchday, selling one of the club’s longest serving and most admired players; Yu Tao to rivalsShanghai Shenxin and also demanding that he be named on the squad’s team sheet for a friendly game against Liverpool. These actions have undermined the club severely and it now appears that Anelka is unlikely to rejoin Shenhua in the new season. As for Drogba – it appears he will remain in Shanghai but who knows for how long? One thing’s for certain however, a relationship comprising of pushy, single-minded business tycoons with a thirst for publicity, an under-developed grassroots system with no great affiliation to the game and an influx of players who have used football as a vehicle for survival and social elevation is, almost definitely, destined for failure.
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