Expert: Invest carefully in European soccer

Chinese companies should adopt a long-term investment approach and have a thorough understanding of soccer before they invest in overseas clubs, according to insiders.

“Investing in European soccer is not all about pushing around money,” said Xie Liang, a veteran soccer commentator with Radio Guangdong.

Xie’s remarks came after Italian third-tier league club AC Pavia, which was bought by a Chinese investor in 2014, recently went bankrupt.

Chinese businessman Zhu Xiaodong bought all of the shares in AC Pavia in July 2014, promising to bring the club with a history of over 100 years back to the Serie A, Italy’s top league, within five years and build a new stadium for the club through big investment.

But Zhu announced a withdrawal of investment before the new season in August as he reportedly claimed the club’s business had been greatly affected by the club’s Italian managers.

“Most Chinese i nvestors don’t have management experience of soccer clubs before t heir decisions on investment. That’s why they will face difficulties in cooperation with overseas managers,” said Xie.

AC Pavia was unqualified to take part in the new sea- son due to the club’s losses, while some players and club managers filed lawsuits against it over delayed salaries, according to local media reports.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the Hong Konglisted Tech Pro Technology Development Ltd, which now owns of Sochaux-Montbeliard, faced bankruptcy proceedings, as the company’s share price has fallen 92 percent since July.

“We don’t understand why a Chinese company with poor business performance bought a European club, which is also suffering big losses,” said Zhang Q ing, chief executive of Beijingbased Key-Solution Sports Consultant Co.