Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group said that becoming a top-tier FIFA sponsor "leaves it 'better placed' to help decide where future editions of the World Cup will be staged," according to the AP. Wanda is FIFA's "first new top-tier sponsor" since '13, and the deal runs through the '30 World Cup, which China is "considered likely to bid." The value of the top-tier FIFA partnership was not disclosed but is "likely to top hundreds of millions of dollars." Chinese leaders from President Xi Jinping down "say they want to add the World Cup to the list of major sporting events the country has hosted or is planning to host." The firm's Wanda Sports Holding subsidiary is "led by Philippe Blatter, a nephew of Sepp Blatter, who was forced out as FIFA president by a corruption crisis" (AP, 3/21). The BBC's Bill Wilson noted the sponsorship is the "first big deal" of new FIFA President Gianni Infantino's reign, and the "first since the scandals that engulfed the organisation." It is also "believed to be one of the biggest" in FIFA's history. The agreement is "another sign of the growing importance of football in China" (BBC.com, 3/18). FIFA yesterday said that Philippe Blatter "played no part in the Wanda negotiations, while insiders stressed all potential conflict-of-interest angles had been explored and accounted for." Infront Sports & Media "holds the broadcast rights to the next two World Cups in 26 Asian territories, including China, as well as having a stake in Fifa’s exclusive hospitality provider, Match Hospitality" (London TELEGRAPH, 3/19). The AP's Graham Dunbar noted Infront "won two FIFA contracts: to provide World Cup broadcasting services, and as a shareholder in Match Hospitality, which controls corporate seats at World Cup stadiums." Infantino said that the Wanda deal "met all of FIFA's stricter, new compliance standards" (AP, 3/18).
FLEXING ITS MUSCLE: The FINANCIAL TIMES' Ralph Atkins noted Wanda Chair Wang Jianlin is "China’s richest man, with a fortune estimated" at $28.7B. He "made his wealth in real estate in China but has since set his ambitions on building a global leisure and entertainment empire." Synergy CEO Tim Crow said, "China and corporate China wants to become a major football power, and I think that this (the Fifa deal) is further evidence of that." He added, "More Fifa partners will come from the east rather than the west because there is no doubt the Fifa brand has more work to do, even if it can come back" (FT.com, 3/18).
