I build a giant in the Premier League

Chapter 345 The trump card for advancing to the Bundesliga! Creating another world championship! Unbeatable and impossible! [Please subscribe]

Manchester United headquarters in London's Soho district.

Ed Woodward sat in his office, aimlessly scrolling through news and videos online.

In my mind, I kept thinking: The Chinese at Bethesda really make money!
£16 billion over 5 years puts Manchester United far ahead of the competition.

Ed Woodward's plan included a shirt sponsorship deal worth a whopping £7500 million, which made him extremely proud.

He also stood up straight when he reported to the Glazer brothers in the United States.

The problem is that Manchester United's shirt sponsorship only costs £4700 million a year.

Where are the Chinese at Baswater?

Although it's counted together with the other 5 teams, it's clear to anyone with eyes that the majority of the influence comes from the Chinese players at Basworth.

£3.2 million a year, my God!
It's outrageous just thinking about it!

What dealt Ed Woodward an even greater blow was Vodafone.

Speaking of which, this globally renowned telecommunications company has a long-standing relationship with Manchester United.

Back in 2000, after Ferguson's Manchester United won the treble, their shirt sponsor changed from Sharp, with whom they had worked for over a decade, to Vodafone, which was at the height of its popularity.

That period can be described as the peak of Manchester United's history, a time filled with countless fond memories for fans.

Starting in 06, Vodafone became AIG Insurance, then AON, and in 14 it became Chevrolet.

But many fans still miss the old Vodafone.

In fact, before partnering with Chevrolet in 2014, Ed Woodward had visited Vodafone and strongly recommended Manchester United, but the latter was not very interested.

Unexpectedly, they turned around and signed a contract with the Chinese at Beswater.

It's just an armband advertisement!
£3000 million a year!
It's almost as big as Manchester United's shirt sponsorship!

Of course, the current armband advertisement for the Chinese at Baswater is from Umbro, which costs £500 million annually.

But everyone knows that the reason behind this is Yang Cheng's; it's said to be his family's business, and the price was given as a favor.

Regardless, the Chinese jerseys of the Baswater team are definitely among the most expensive jerseys in world football right now!
Just as Ed Woodward was feeling down, his cell phone on his desk suddenly rang.

San Dezi grabbed the phone and saw the caller ID: Joel Glazer.

He suddenly felt uncomfortable.

Regardless, he quickly answered the phone.

“Hello, Mr. Glazer.”

"Ed, did you see the news just now?"

"What news?"

"Bethwater, the Chinese, is there any news more popular than him right now?"

San Dezi gave an awkward smile, "I saw it."

"Why is it that Manchester United, as a fellow Premier League team, receives so much less sponsorship revenue than the Chinese at Besworth?"

"Their achievements in recent years have indeed been very good."

"But you didn't say that before. You said that results don't represent everything, and that business has its own rules. So when we poached Pogba, Ronaldo, and Martial, spending so much money, where was the commercial value?"

“Mr. Glazer, our contract with Chevrolet is quite long.”

"Then let's think of a way. Also, what kind of armbands did they develop? Why don't we have any?"

"We are currently studying and seeking investment."

“Then hurry up, it’s £3000 million a year.” Joel Glazer sounded impatient on the phone.

San Dezi quickly agreed.

He's just a worker, but not for Manchester United, he's working for the Glazer family.

"Also, hurry up and talk to Chevrolet and Adidas again. We didn't have Ronaldo before, but now that we do, shouldn't we raise the price again?"

Ed Woodward really wanted to yell: "Do you have any sense of contractual obligation?"
Back then, the Chinese at Beswater signed contracts worth 500 million or 3000 million per year. Even though they knew they were losing money, they still honored them to this day.

If you turn around and raise the price for sponsors, who the hell will dare to sign with you in the future?
Despite his inner turmoil, Ed Woodward politely nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I understand."

"Get it done as soon as possible. If the Chinese can do it at Besworth, so can Manchester United!"

"Ah."

Ed Woodward was desperate.

I really can't do it!

……

"This is a bit outrageous!"

In the Bernabéu stadium president's office in Madrid, the Spanish capital, Florentino Pérez pointed to the latest news and spoke to general manager José Sánchez.

“Our chest sponsorship costs only 3200 million euros a year, while their armband costs 3000 million pounds.”

"The British pound!"

Although the pound sterling has depreciated significantly in recent years, it is still higher than the euro.

In total, the armbands of Chinese sponsors at Besworth are roughly equivalent to the chest sponsorships at Real Madrid.

This almost drove Florentino to the brink of collapse!

It's outrageous that the business empire I painstakingly built is not as good as someone else's sleeve!

"They are six teams, and this is based on a comprehensive consideration of the next five years," José Sánchez explained helplessly.

Simply put, the sponsors are very optimistic about the development trend of these six teams over the next five years, which is why they have given such a high valuation.

If development in the next 5 years is not as expected, then the next contract will definitely be devalued.

The sponsors aren't stupid; they have their own set of evaluation criteria.

“Right now, the Chinese in Beswater are making too much money, we can’t catch up no matter what!” Florentino shook his head helplessly.

“They are not only raising sponsorship fees now, but also constantly increasing their requirements and assessments for sponsors, making it increasingly difficult for us to catch up.”

Top football teams have always considered sponsors.

For example, Omar Belada used to be in charge of scouting sponsors at Barcelona.

After all, even elite teams have their own considerations. Although they endorse sponsors for money, if the sponsors are too bad, it will in turn affect the commercial value and brand reputation of the elite teams.

Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona and other top football clubs have their commercial departments flying all over the world every year to scout for sponsors and partners.

Every wealthy family has its own set of standards.

The simplest criterion is that many top clubs, including Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Barcelona, ​​no longer want sponsorships from betting companies or online gambling companies.

This is detrimental to one's image.

But look at the top five European leagues, how many teams are still taking money from these betting and gambling companies?

This is due to the difference in standards.

Just like that American internet company called Priceline.

Why spend an exorbitant amount of money to sponsor the Chinese at Beswater?
To put it bluntly, it's because the Chinese at Beswater have high standards for sponsors, and they can offer such an exorbitant price to sign this contract. This gives them more leverage when negotiating with other partners in the future.

Nowadays, it is widely acknowledged in the industry that the Chinese at Bestwater have the highest standards.

But their sponsorship fees are also the most expensive.

"I heard that Audi also wants to compete for the Chinese sponsorship contract with Beswathe?" Florentino's expression was not good. Audi and Real Madrid have been cooperating for many years.

Of course, Audi sponsors not only Real Madrid, but also other top teams such as Barcelona and AC Milan.

"Yes, the sponsorship deal between the Chinese and Mercedes-Benz with Baswater is until the end of the 15/16 season. Audi is very interested and reportedly offered a high price and terms, but Mercedes-Benz is also in talks to renew the contract."

Florentino shook his head, somewhat speechless.

"I've noticed that ever since our title as the world's number one earner was taken by the Chinese at Bethesda, it's as if all the good fortune has gradually slipped away from us."

José Sánchez smiled wryly, "Ultimately, professional football is also a winner-takes-all world."

In La Liga, Real Madrid and Barcelona take almost the majority of the broadcast revenue.

This forces La Liga to step up and initiate reforms, otherwise other clubs will not survive.

But how can advertising sponsorship be reformed?

The Chinese at Baswater have that kind of influence and appeal, what can you do about it?
A single armband worth £3000 million is simply outrageous!

Oh, by the way, they can even sell the naming rights for their training base.

That's £3000 million a year.

It was purchased by the Qatar Tourism Authority.

Outrageous!

……

Frankfurt's Old Town.

In a high-end, private club, Wolfgang Stubbin, who had just been elected chairman of the Frankfurt Supervisory Board on June 8, welcomed his last guest.

Reinhard Raubal, President of Borussia Dortmund and Vice President of the German Football Association.

When 68-year-old Raubal entered the private box, he saw that in addition to Wolfgang Stubin, there was another person present: Reinhard Grindel, the financial director of the German Football Association.

The anti-corruption storm that just ended at FIFA has swept across the entire world of football.

This not only led to the direct downfall of FIFA and UEFA, but also prompted major continental football federations and national football associations to launch vigorous anti-corruption campaigns.

The president of the German Football Association—no, it should now be called the former president, Wolfgang Nielsbach—was sacked due to bribery and World Cup bidding scandals, so the German Football Association is currently being led by two vice presidents.

Besides Raubal, the other vice president is Rainer Koch.

The German Football Association will hold a presidential election at the end of the year, and Raubal is too old to run for the position.

The two people who are currently the most popular are Grindel, the 54-year-old financial director in front of Raubal.

The other is 56-year-old Rainer Koch.

Grindel is a self-taught footballer. He started his career working for German television and has been working in the German Bundestag since 02. From 11 to 14, he served as the first vice president of the Lower Saxony Football Association.

He has served as the financial director of the German Football Association since 13.

If Grindel is a typical cross-disciplinary official, then Reina Koch is a standard footballer.

He has worked as a coach, in youth training, coached youth teams, and served as a regional youth training director, among many other positions, gradually rising through the ranks of the football system. He began serving as the vice chairman of the Chinese Football Association in 07.

The competition between these two individuals, to some extent, represents the clash between two different ideologies.

For example, on the 50+1 policy, Rainer Koch has consistently stated in the media that he firmly defends it.

This earned him the recognition of countless fans.

Grindel, however, remained silent, but he consistently maintained that German football needed to make more changes in order to catch up with other European leagues.

It is clear that he supports abolishing or modifying the 50+1 policy.

What about Laubar?
This old fox is meticulous in both public and private settings, leaving no trace whatsoever.

But he has a good relationship with both sides.

No one knows which side he prefers.

But he accepted Stubbs' invitation and came to the box.

This is like a signal.

Wolfgang, have you been traveling to England quite frequently lately?

As soon as he sat down, Raubal smiled at Stubin with a hint of mockery.

Stubbs was unimpressed. "You have no idea, the scene was truly spectacular. Dozens of sponsors were bidding over there, and they sold £16 billion in five years. My God, £16 billion, and it's still the damn pounds!"

At this point, Stubbs seemed to be on fire.

“The Chinese in Baswater are indeed making a lot of money right now, and their club alliances, with larger clubs supporting smaller ones, are developing very quickly,” Grindel praised.

"Yes, there were quite a few doubts before, but now that the auction results are out, the whole world is in an uproar."

"When I was in London, I heard the journalists on Fleet Street discussing that many Premier League teams were going to do the same. Manchester City had already formed the City Football Group, Abramovich was also eager to join, and there was also the Saudi consortium behind Liverpool..."

"What if, in the future, these clubs, like the Chinese at Besworth, create an entire club alliance, from South America to the Dutch Eredivisie and the Portuguese Primeira Liga, developing everything from youth academies to semi-adult players and then to actual players, all in-house..."

"My God, how is our club supposed to compete with them?"

Grindel nodded repeatedly.

But at this point, Laubar replied nonchalantly, "But they are now showing signs of becoming too reliant on capital, which is dangerous, just like we were back then."

"Come on, Reinhard, look at Nice. They earned £2.7 million in transfer revenue this summer. So many top European clubs are poaching their players. They're just voting with their feet."

"And then there's Atalanta. They used to be losing so much money, but look at them now! Their youth academy is producing a lot of talent, and their first team is getting stronger and stronger. They're probably going to challenge for the Serie A title this season."

Stubin looked intently at Raubal as he said this, “If you ask me, Reinhard, the reason why Dortmund has been unable to beat Bayern all these years is ultimately because they have been limited.”

When the topic came up, Raubal just smiled and stopped talking.

"By the way, did you see Yang Cheng on your trip to London?" Grindel changed the subject appropriately to avoid an awkward silence.

"I met him. He's the kind of person who's capable of great things. We chatted for a while, but he's too busy right now."

Everyone nodded.

He also currently serves as the chairman of the FIFA Supervisory Board.

"Although we didn't talk much, from what he revealed, I think he's very interested in joining the Bundesliga, and he also feels that the Bundesliga is seriously underrated."

"As the economic powerhouse of Europe, our football league is still developing too slowly, especially in terms of globalization, where we lag behind. Even Ligue 1 is ahead of us."

At this point, Stubbs took a sip of wine to moisten his throat before continuing.

"Otherwise, people see things in a completely different way than we do, and their perspective is different from ours."

Upon hearing this, not only Grindel, but even Laubar looked up with concern.

Yang Cheng said that the English Premier League has a natural advantage in language and cultural dissemination, Spain is backed by the talent pool of South America, France has a wealth of talent and Africa as a talent base, what does Germany have?

"Our strength lies in Eastern Europe, but we have done a terrible job in recent years. The Bundesliga has failed to globalize, so we have no advantage in attracting foreign talent."

"They are indeed impressive. They casually told me a statistic: the vast majority of sponsors for our 18 Bundesliga teams are German companies, but for the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and Ligue 1, regardless of the sponsorship fees, most are multinational corporations."

"We're like a closed little circle, entertaining ourselves here."

This last sentence was clearly not said by Yang Cheng, but rather by Stubin himself.

But that is the truth.

Grindel was well aware of Stubbs's thoughts.

He even knew about it before Stubin ran for chairman of the supervisory board of the Eintracht Frankfurt club.

Raubal was equally aware of this.

After a few seconds of silence in the private room, Raubal coughed softly.

“Recently, Martin Kinder from Hanover 96 has been very active, secretly contacting several people and making a lot of connections.”

This seemingly random statement left the other two people present feeling somewhat puzzled.

"What does he want to do?" Stubbs asked with concern.

He knows Laubar; he would never speak without reason.

"He started investing in Hannover 96 in February 1997."

Raubal's words made the other two people present think.

Then, they all suddenly realized what was going on.

97 October.

It has been 18 years since then.

The German Football Association's 50+1 policy was established in 1999, but Hannover 96 was not an exception at the time.

According to regulations, investors must continuously invest in the club for 20 years to be eligible to apply for an exemption.

Martin Kinder will soon be 20 years old.

“He must be quite old,” Grindel said, somewhat amused.

“I’m 71,” Raubal replied.

But this has nothing to do with age.

If we can beat Hannover 96, it's like getting a special ticket.

In Germany, football is never just football!

"Is the outlook optimistic?" Stubbs asked again with concern.

"If he's optimistic, do you think he'd still need to travel around?" Laubar asked rhetorically.

"But there has to be an explanation, right? Didn't the previous regulations say that an investment of 20 years would be an exception? So what's the explanation now? Are only the clubs of large conglomerates and corporations allowed to be exceptions, while others are not?"

Stubin was somewhat agitated.

If he can't get past this, then it's undoubtedly another door blocked for him.

“In the past, when the 50+1 policy was formulated, it was indeed very vague. The statement was that it would provide significant support for 20 consecutive years, but it did not clearly define the definition and limits of such significant support.”

This is a loophole in the regulations.

"After the Hoffenheim issue arose in December 2014, the German Football Association held a discussion and issued an explanatory guideline, which clearly specified the details of major support. In principle, the investment funds over 20 years must be at least at the same standard as the club's main sponsor, and must be approved by the club and the Bundesliga board of directors."

"Martin Kinder is far from reaching that share; he is a shareholder, but he hasn't invested much money."

Upon hearing this, Stubbs shook his head repeatedly in exasperation.

"So that means this road is completely impassable?"

According to Stubin, it would be best for the German Football Association to relax the policy appropriately, for example, shortening the 20-year period to 10 years, or even 5 years.

This way, Yang Cheng can see it and catch it.

Twenty years is a long time. Who knows what will happen in twenty years, right?

But now it seems that it is very difficult to shorten it.

"Don't you understand, Wolfgang?"

Seeing his appearance, Raubal gave a helpless, wry smile.

"Your biggest enemy has never been the German Football Association, never us, and not even the Bundesliga clubs."

"Look at the Bundesliga now. How many clubs are left without shareholding reform? Which club hasn't sold shares to outsiders? And when has the German Football Association ever turned a blind eye?"

"The regulations state that companies cannot invest in multiple clubs simultaneously, but how many clubs has Volkswagen invested in?"

"Without these investments, the club would go bankrupt!"

"Look at the Bundesliga now. It looks good on the surface, but it's actually a mess and a chaotic place. Is this what we want to see?"

"Don't we know that there are problems with this model?"

Stubbin and Grindelwald were both speechless.

Anyone can have grumbles and complaints.

But this doesn't change anything about the current situation!

"Do you know how many clubs have transferred their league competition licenses by setting up joint-stock companies? On the surface, it still looks like 50+1, but in reality, they've been hollowed out long ago, and the competition licenses no longer belong to the clubs!"

The weapon the German Football Association uses to force all clubs to comply with the 50+1 rule is the match license.

The competition license may appear the same whether it's held by the club or the joint-stock company, but legally they are different.

If the joint-stock company has already obtained the competition license, then does the voting right belong to them at the meetings organized by the German Football Association?

After all the shares of this company are sold, who will participate in the competition?
The regulations state that companies cannot simultaneously hold more than 10% of the shares in two or more clubs.

Then it's fine to just own one company.

Besides, Volkswagen owns several companies, and in each one, it owns more than 10%.

Is there a solution? Right now, everything is a mess, and many clubs are trying to find ways to make money.

Without money, they will die!

Who is the biggest enemy of the 50+1 team?

They're football fans!
It's fans all over Germany!

They have been completely brainwashed over the past decade or so!
They believed that their set of rules was the most advanced and scientific.

Although the development is a bit slow, at least it's stable.

Is that really the case?

Don't they see how many clubs are struggling financially every year?
Aside from the fans, there are some mid-to-lower-tier Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga clubs.

They absolutely do not want to see this rule broken.

Ironically, they were the majority when it came to voting.

There are clubs inside and fans outside. If anyone dares to suggest a vote, these people inside will stand up and shout it out in the media, and the fans will immediately launch a massive attack, and everyone will have to step down!

In this situation, who dares to stand up?

Who dares to challenge the 50+1 policy?

All three people present were aware of these things, but there was nothing they could do about it.

“Wolfgang, now that you’re the chairman of the supervisory board, perhaps you can persuade Yang Cheng to acquire the shares, just like other clubs do, secretly,” Grindel suggested.

Stubin shook his head with a wry smile. "I've spoken with Adam Crozier, the CEO of Beswater China, and the CFO. The lawyers warned that there's a lack of protection."

"An investment of one or two hundred million euros, and it's foreign capital, what do you think?"

Honestly, that's true.

With such a large sum of money invested, and now that you, Stubin, are the chairman of the supervisory board, you can certainly promise me guarantees. But what if you are elected to a position two or three years from now, or even later?
Will my next partner be willing to provide me with the same security?
If I were to encounter a bad one, they could easily ruin me, and I might not even get my money back.

“They studied our German laws and the 50+1 policy, and they proposed an alternative approach.”

This was actually Stubbs' real purpose in inviting the two of them out.

Complaints and grumbles?
They don't have that much time.

"What idea?"

"Yang Cheng's legal team suggested that they could file a lawsuit directly in the German Federal Court, accusing the 50+1 policy of violating German antitrust law and rendering the 50+1 policy ineffective?"

"Anti-monopoly law?"

Both Raubal and Grindel were stunned.

They haven't actually researched this.

However, they genuinely didn't understand the specific legal issues.

"Have they done any research?" Laubar asked with concern.

Stubin nodded. "We all know how strong Yang Cheng and the Chinese legal team at Bethwater are. FIFA and UEFA investigated them simultaneously, and their compliance was found to be completely unaffected."

"It is said that they have organized a special team to study this matter and think that they can try to file a lawsuit from the perspective of antitrust law."

Raubal and Grindel looked at each other, both feeling that this matter seemed a bit outrageous.

It was even beyond their control.

But they all hope that the 50+1 policy can be abolished, or at least loosened.

RB Leipzig's path is blocked, and Hannover 96's path is also basically unfeasible.

If the antitrust law wins the case, that would be a different approach.

"What are they planning to do?" Laubar asked with concern.

"It's still under investigation and requires our cooperation."

Stubbs immediately leaned over and whispered something to himself.

In essence, Frankfurt sold shares to a Chinese company founded by Yang Cheng through a joint-stock company.

When this Chinese company takes charge of Frankfurt, it will inevitably trigger the 50+1 policy.

Then the deal will be called off.

Then they can take the opportunity to sue the 50+1 policy for monopolistic and illegal practices.

"Their legal team says there is a legal paradox between antitrust law and the 50+1 rule currently in place in the Bundesliga, and they are very confident about it!"

After hearing this, Raubal couldn't help but slap the table in amazement, feeling utterly impressed!

He may not understand the law, but Yang Cheng is willing to invest so much money and has always attached great importance to compliance. If his team says there is such a problem, then there must be.

"That's what you call truly awesome!" Laubar exclaimed with a smile.

Many German professional clubs tried countless methods and studied for years, but they couldn't uncover any major secrets. They could only try to poach players from other clubs in secret. But when that other club made its move, it directly grasped a key core issue.

Of course, whether it will work or not will likely need to be tested in practice.

Ultimately, no one knows anything about this unless they've tried it.

Nobody knows how much of a reaction the fans will generate.

If there are widespread complaints, even if it's illegal, Yang Cheng will still be kicked out.

“Then you guys prepare first, and we’ll talk about everything after the election!” Raubal suggested.

Stubbin and Grindel both nodded in agreement.

Grindel supports reform, and if he is elected, many things will be much easier.

On the contrary, if Rainer Koch were elected, the resistance would be even greater.

"This is a trump card. Once you're out of this door, don't tell anyone, so as not to alert them!" Laubar reminded him again.

Both of them nodded.

……

With the players gradually returning to their teams, the training camp for the new season has begun.

After the auction ended, Yang Cheng completely put the matter out of his mind and began to devote himself to training and preparation for the new season.

Salah arrived at the team ahead of schedule and had a long talk with Yang Cheng.

Yang Cheng actually values ​​this Egyptian star quite a bit.

His commercial value is really high.

In Yang Cheng's previous life, Salah's jersey sales were among the highest in the world for a long time, even comparable to Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.

Salah wields considerable influence in North Africa and the Middle East.

This is also a huge attraction for the Chinese at Beswater.

More importantly, Salah's ability is beyond doubt.

Yang Cheng said that as a Chinese player at Besworth, he doesn't need to worry about not getting playing time at all.

Leaving aside the young players, the first team still has 23 players. With multiple competitions to compete in the new season, Salah will have many opportunities to play.

Of course, if he wants to establish himself, he needs to outcompete Sterling, Walcott, and even Gareth Bell in the competition.

As long as he's in good shape, he can play!

This year, the Chinese players from Baswater will once again travel to North America to participate in the International Champions Cup.

But it's different from previous years.

The team will first hold a training camp in London and play a few warm-up matches against teams from the surrounding areas before heading to the United States to play in the International Champions Cup.

After all, the fact that they train overseas every year has disappointed local fans to some extent.

Especially some of the clubs that cooperate in the surrounding area.

For the Chinese players at Bethwaite, a single friendly match could bring in hundreds of thousands of pounds.

After the training camp started, Yang Cheng gradually handed over more power to Flick.

Everyone realized that the Germans were gradually taking over the reins of the head coach.

They weren't stupid; they all knew what was going on, so everyone was giving it their all.

Flick is a smart man, and he gets along well with the players, including in the locker room, and the players generally accept him.

The only regret is Yang Cheng.

But the players were already mentally prepared when Flick joined the team.

Previously, when Yang Cheng was elected as the chairman of the FIFA Supervisory Board, some people even said that he would no longer coach.

At least the players have been given a chance.

They put in all their effort and trained relentlessly; the entire team was determined to succeed.

Yang Cheng also cherishes the time he spends with the players.

After all, we've worked together for over a decade.

Although he no longer personally directs training sessions, he is always present on the sidelines, "supervising" the players' training.

He naturally noticed something amiss.

This feeling is actually similar to Yang Cheng's previous life, the Manchester United team in the 12/13 season.

With Ferguson retiring, everyone at Manchester United is determined to give him a proper retirement!
The current group of Chinese players at Basworth are basically like that.

After a week of training at the Brunt training center, the team began to travel around and played three warm-up matches in the surrounding areas.

The opponents are mostly teams from lower-level leagues in the surrounding areas.

Three wins out of three.

All the players performed exceptionally well.

The team then departed from London for the United States.

Riding the wave of their four consecutive Champions League titles and the recently concluded auction, the Chinese team from Beswater immediately attracted a lot of attention from the media and fans upon their arrival in the United States.

Even their daily training sessions attract many fans who buy tickets to watch.

This demonstrated to everyone the influence of the Chinese at Baswater in North America.

But Yang Cheng was more concerned about the progress at ICC.

On the third day after arriving in the United States, Yang Cheng was greeted by two senior executives from ICC, David Pensell and Richard Masters.

……

"How did your trip to Switzerland go?"

Yang Cheng and the others sat down in the hotel's coffee shop and talked about their trip to Switzerland.

"It went relatively smoothly. Although there were some obstacles, they were not major problems and were all resolved."

David Pensell was clearly very satisfied with the result.

He and Richard Masters spent more than a week in Switzerland, mainly in talks with FIFA.

According to the original agreement between Yang Cheng and David Gill, David Gill would help the International Champions Cup gain FIFA recognition and authorization once Yang Cheng helped David Gill become the FIFA president.

This brings us to the necessity of authorization.

In theory, FIFA is the highest governing body in the football field. Without this authorization, it would be illegitimate and could be abolished by FIFA or the continental football federations at any time.

Of course, this involves many complex legal issues.

There have been precedents for this before.

For example, some intercontinental warm-up matches.

If the profits are substantial enough, continental football federations and national football associations will not let it pass them by.

This could eventually escalate into an endless legal mess.

In Yang Cheng's previous life, the International Champions Cup ultimately failed to continue. Besides the organizers' blind expansion leading to a decline in market appeal, another very important reason was that they failed to gain FIFA's recognition for a long time.

Since 2016, there have been rumors that FIFA plans to expand the Club World Cup to compete with the International Champions Cup and seize a large share of the prize money.

This would be a very big threat to a competition.

Putting aside everything else, even big-name sponsors would be afraid and wouldn't dare to enter.

why?
I've spent so much money sponsoring you, and then you get shut down. Doesn't that mean all my money has gone down the drain?

The big-name sponsors support an event with the aim of making the event a long-term partnership.

So, not being able to get authorization wasn't a big deal at first.

However, once it develops to a certain extent, its drawbacks will become apparent.

If FIFA were to expand the Club World Cup and bring it to July or August to compete with the International Champions Cup, how would the International Champions Cup possibly compete?
At that point, will the club participate in the International Champions Cup or the Club World Cup?
Of course, with Yang Cheng present now, such a thing is impossible.

Moreover, he had been planning this all along.

Such a large piece of fatty meat, I definitely have to eat it myself.

What about the agreement with David Gill?

It still stands, but I can take the authorization myself; I don't need you, David Gill, anymore.

Most importantly, there are basically no competitions held by FIFA and the continental football federations in July and August.

There was no resistance in granting this authorization.

"Once we receive this authorization, we will be considered an officially recognized FIFA event!"

Richard Masters, having said this, also rubbed his hands together, eager to try it out.

"Next, we will definitely go all out, especially with our major sponsors, to make this event bigger and stronger as soon as possible."

The best way to make an event bigger and stronger is to attract sponsors.

With the foundation laid by the past few years, and now having obtained authorization from FIFA, sponsors can now enter the market with confidence.

Sponsors bring in substantial sponsorship revenue, which is then converted into appearance fees and prize money for the teams.

When all the participating teams have made a fortune, everything will naturally fall into place.

According to David Pensell, the International Champions Cup has been broadcast live on television in North America, Asia, the Middle East, South America, and Europe over the past few years.

Moreover, the number of countries and regions broadcasting live is increasing.

It can be said that the International Champions Cup has been cultivating the market for the past few years.

Now that we've obtained the authorization, we're definitely going to start making a big splash.

“Right now it’s 12+4, and we’ll stick to that framework for now. But you should talk to the sponsors more often, and if possible, expand the team further!” Yang Cheng suggested.

"Continue to expand the army?"

David Pensell and Richard Masters were both somewhat surprised.

"That's right, as long as sponsors are willing to pay and appearance fees are raised, expansion is inevitable!"

This is the best time to seize the market.

If we don't expand now, are we going to wait for other events to fill the market gap?
"My idea is to focus on invitations. We will invite outstanding teams from South America, North America, Africa, Asia, and Europe to participate, making it a tournament similar to the Club World Cup."

David Pencel's eyes lit up immediately: "An expanded version of the Club World Cup!"

"That's right, the timing is still in July and August, and we will still focus on the preseason games."

After Yang Cheng said that, David Pensell and Richard Masters immediately understood.

They are all very shrewd people, otherwise they wouldn't have made it this far.

With a little guidance from Yang Cheng, they immediately guessed the potential of this competition.

Now that we've obtained the authorization, we must develop this event into an international competition.

Previously, all 16 teams were European teams.

This won't do; it's not international enough.

Club teams from continents such as Africa, North America, Asia, and South America may be somewhat weaker in terms of strength, but their influence in their respective countries and regions is still very real.

The most important thing is a title.

World champion!
The World Cup is for national teams to win world championships, while the Club World Cup, although touted as a world championship for clubs, has fewer participating teams, a shorter timeframe, and therefore less influence.

More importantly, there's nothing to see.

It's fun that European teams win the championship every year.
Who would want to watch a match where the outcome is predictable?
what about now?

Invitation only.

European teams certainly have the strongest box office appeal, but we also need to give them some pressure.

We invited the champions and runners-up from North America, the top teams from the Copa Libertadores in South America, as well as strong teams from Africa and Asia, to come and play together.

We still can't beat European teams?
By then, will the Club World Cup be as prestigious as the International Champions Cup?
Putting aside everything else, how much influence did the Club World Cup, which was played in mid-December during the most intense period of the season, have?
But July and August are different.

This is a lull in the competition schedule.

During this period of competition, they practically monopolized the entire market!

The champion decided at this point is the true world champion of the club!

"But there's a problem: won't this result in too many matches? Won't the schedule be too tight?"

Previously, when the International Champions Cup was being expanded, ICC had been concerned about this issue.

After all, the league is about to start in mid-August.

"Don't worry, we can move the event forward a bit. As long as the appearance fee is high enough and the revenue from the match is large enough, players and clubs will be happy to participate."

David Pensell thought about it and realized that made the same sense.

If the prize money is high enough, the clubs will definitely take it seriously, and the prestige of the competition will naturally increase.

As for the pressure on the players...

"I'm considering proposing that players be allowed five substitutions per game to reduce the pressure on them."

Five substitutions?
Everyone present was quite surprised.

This is absolutely a revolutionary proposal.

Even a subversion!
why?
Most current game strategies are based on three substitutions.

But if you can make 5 substitutions, it means the coach has 2 more opportunities to change the course of the game.

More importantly, with two more players, the team's overall physical output will be greatly improved in the second half of the game.

Just like Klopp's Dortmund team, he gave it his all, but the team's stamina could only barely sustain it for 60 minutes.

Then they'll have to replace him.

What if we increase the number of substitutions from 3 to 5?

Klopp's tactics will significantly enhance his competitiveness.

But most importantly, it can significantly increase the suspense of the game.

Overall, it definitely benefits the strong teams, but only to a very limited extent.

However, the resulting chain reaction, such as the increased pace and suspense of the game, will undoubtedly make football matches more interesting.

At the very least, the amount of wasted time will be greatly reduced.

As Yang Cheng said, reducing the pressure on the players has had a very obvious effect.

Yang Cheng himself found it somewhat amusing.

On the one hand, as a capitalist, he tries every means to expand and strengthen his business, which inevitably increases the number of matches for the players.

On the other hand, he does want to help reduce the burden on the players.

Isn't this contradictory?
But sometimes I think, aren't people inherently contradictory?

If this market can be expanded, players will receive more appearance fees and bonuses.

Ultimately, there should be more benefits than drawbacks.

(End of this chapter)