After opening its first overseas office in N.Y., Bayern Munich is now also represented in Shanghai. Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Dir of Internationalization & Strategy Jörg Wacker and brand ambassadors Giovane Elber and Bixente Lizarazu represented the club on site and took part in the ceremonial opening with around 120 invited guests from the worlds of politics, industry and the media. Rummenigge said, "We've had nothing but wonderful experiences on our previous trips to China, and we've felt the high esteem our club enjoys here." Wacker added, "We have a broad fan base in China with more than 136 million followers at the present time, and we want to intensify our dialogue with them from now on. We'll offer the Chinese market the right solutions, particularly in youth football, in the rapidly developing football world" (
Bayern Munich). BLOOMBERG reported Bayern Munich has become "the first foreign club to open an office in mainland China as it seeks new sponsorship and merchandising deals in a nation where the sport has become a national priority." Rummenigge said, "It's the right time to come to China. We will come here constantly." Spurred by China President Xi Jinping's wish for the nation to become a football "super power, leading companies and some of China's wealthiest individuals are plowing billions into the sport, paying record fees to lure top talent to clubs, building training complexes and buying foreign teams" (
BLOOMBERG, 3/22). The AFP reported on the same day, Bundesliga side Wolfsburg "also opened new offices in Beijing's 798 art district." Wolfsburg GM Thomas Roettgermann said that it was a "long-term project." Roettgermann added, "At the end of the day, it's such a huge market that every club which is interested in playing internationally should be in China." Bayern Munich already has one school "up and running" in Qingdao, China, "with the first group of Bayern's coaches already there." The club is the second-most "influential" European team online in China, just after ManU, a
survey done by sports marketing firm Mailman showed last month (
AFP, 3/22).
BORUSSIA DORTMUND: ESPN.com's Stephan Uersfeld reported Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund confirmed that it "turned down an approach by Chinese investment group Fosun." Fosun, which owns League Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers, "wants to invest in German football." But the country's 50+1 rule, stipulating that more than 50% of a club must be owned by its members, "makes doing a takeover deal more complicated." Borussia Dortmund finance exec Thomas Tress said, "There were only exploratory talks regarding a possible cooperation in the touristic sector. During those talks, we made it clear that a majority stake for Fosun through a capital increase was out of the question." Werder Bremen CEO Klaus Filbry confirmed that his club "also held talks with the Chinese investor." Filbry said, "We were in talks with Fosun 16 months ago, but did not continue those talks. Hertha Berlin, another club approached by Fosun, held talks in Nov. '16. Borussia Monchengladbach, Hamburg and Wolfsburg were also reportedly "approached by Fosun" (ESPN.com, 3/22).
