The Capital Cup might be at stake, but A-League side Wellington Phoenix's upcoming trip to China is more about "the business of football," according to Hamish Bidwell of STUFF. The club plays Beijing BG at the city's Olympic Sports Stadium on July 27, "with the real action likely to take place off the park." Apart from striker Roy Krishna, who will be preparing to play for Fiji at the Olympic Games, "a full-strength squad will make the trip, including new signings Gui Finkler and Kosta Barbarouses." Phoenix Chair Rob Morrison and GM David Dome have been "regular visitors to China in recent years." Wellington "enjoys sister city status with Beijing, while the club's major sponsor is also based in China." Dome: "China's just gone bonkers on football and there's millions and millions of dollars being spent on football clubs and you can see they're buying up playing left right and center. ... We're lucky in that one of our principal partners is a Chinese-based company, so that gives us an in. We want to be a part of that market" (STUFF, 7/11).
