“This is a game between players from 12 national sides, a game that if you have a friend in China, in Brazil, in Qatar...in half the world he wants to watch. I was thinking of this game when I signed for Chelsea.” IfsThinkingWorldWantGamesSidesHalfWatchesPlayerFootballChinaManagersSoccerChairmanBrazilChelseaQatar Author:Luiz Felipe Scolari
“I also wanted people to know that football actually started in China almost 3000 years ago.” PeopleKnowsYearsWantedFootballYears AgoChina Author:John Woo
“Now tell me this. What would you consider the greatest spectator sport in the country today? Would you say it was baseball, basketball, football?... It's politics. That's right, politics. Millions and millions of people following it every day in the newspapers, over the TV and the radio. Now mind you, they wouldn't get mixed up in this themselves for all the tea in China, but they know the names and numbers of all the players. And what they can't tell the coaches about strategy. Oh, you should see some of the letters I get.” PeopleKnowsShouldMindCountryTodayPoliticsNamesSportsNumbersMillionsPlayerFootballTvsBasketballLettersBaseballStrategyRadioFollowingChinaCoachesNewspapersTeaSpectators Author:Frank Nugent
“China is a sleeping giant if you just take a look at their experience regarding all kinds of sport, not football though, and the number of people that love sports. Chinese are eager to hit new shores and they are ambitious.” PeopleIfsLooksKindSportsSleepNumbersFootballChinaAll KindsChineseGiantsShoreAmbitious Author:Berti Vogts
“I think in China, they know you have to have a solid nationwide plan. It does not help to have a football hotspot in the north or the south.” ThinkingKnowsDoeHelpingPlansFootballSouthChina Author:Berti Vogts
“China needs a table-tennis-like solidity in football.” NeedsFootballTablesChinaTennisSolidityTable Tennis Author:Berti Vogts
“China has great potentials; the people are hard-working and focused. But they have to close the gap as far as the pace of the game is concerned. Football in the future will get faster and faster.” PeopleHardGamesFootballHard WorkConcernedChinaFocusedFasterGapsPace Author:Berti Vogts
“First of all, it would be great for world football to have a competitive Chinese team as China traditionally has deep relation to sports in general.” WorldFirstsWould BeSportsTeamFootballRelationChinaChineseSports In General Author:Berti Vogts