We want to help: Bayern official
▶ German club dedicated to Chinese soccer development
The FIFA Club World Cup being held in China shows that how important soccer is to the country and that its development is also important, a top Bayern Munich official told the Global Times in an exclusive interview in Shanghai on Wednesday.
“The Club World Cup will be a big step, but the bigger step will be the World Cup,” said Jörg Wacker, FC Bayern München AG executive board member with responsibility for internationalization and strategy.
If in 2030 the World Cup goes to China, that would also be important for Bayern Munich, he said.
“It’s about the development of soccer in China and we Bayern Munich want to be part of this development and we want to help soccer development here,” Wacker said.
Since the FC Bayern China Office opened in 2016, Bayern Munich has been focused on the sustainable development of soccer in China, Wacker said.
The Bundesliga giant in October signed a contract with Rouven Kasper, managing director of FC Bayern Munich China and future president Asia. In the past three years, Bayern Munich in China has been working on building a network to connect people and focusing on youth programs.
Bayern is trying to identify partners willing to be first investors in the project. “We are doing it step by step, trying to find a partner which fits together with our brand,” he said.
More top soccer clubs entering China brings competition and opportunities for Bayern Munich, he said.
On Thursday, Wacker will attend the opening ceremony for the construction of Bayern Munich soccer school in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong Province.
The club opened Bayern Munich Football School in
Qingdao, East China’s Shandong Province in 2016 and plans another for Taiyuan, North China’s Shanxi Province.
FC Bayern Munich (Shanghai) is the second overseas office of the German soccer club following the first in New York in 2014 and is also the first China office opened by a Bundesliga club.
Bayern says it has more than 5 million fans on Chinese social media platforms and an official online shop on Tmall, an e-commerce platform run on Alibaba.
Fans hope the club might bring a team to China next year. Wacker said, “We are planning.”