Newly rich Chinese football is not "all about millionaire players and famous coaches," according to the AFP. Just ask "the smaller teams, who are living firmly in the shadow of their well-heeled neighbours." Chinese Super League clubs "took the transfer market by storm this year when they collectively splashed" out more than $400M on players, including some "still in their prime." Guangzhou Evergrande was among the big spenders, extending a policy which has brought them six straight Chinese titles and two AFC Champions League wins in recent years. But "just a short distance away" at the Yuexiushan Stadium, "life is very different" for Evergrande’s city rival Guangzhou R&F, which takes a more "low-key approach." R&F does not pay "exorbitant sums for foreign players," and the club is a "long way" from winning Asia's Champions League. Instead, "they put their faith in their academy system and home-grown talent." Assistant GM Tyler Guo said, "Evergrande spend a lot of money, and they pick the best players from around the world and every single club in China. We operate in a relatively more rational way. We produce our own players, we promote Chinese talent so they can play and reach the national team. We also transfer a lot (of players) out to other clubs to make a balance financially too." Chinese President Xi Jinping "fired the starting gun on China’s race to acquire players -- and foreign clubs -- when he outlined ambitions to turn the country into a global football power." It left China’s more "thrifty" teams with a decision to make: try to match the spending of Evergrande, Jiangsu Suning, Shandong Luneng and others, or find different ways to compete. Guo said that the "crazy" spending was only set to continue in China’s 16-team top tier, predicting "the country’s football boom could last for another five years." Guo added, "We expect the competition is going to be more fierce next season. We're actually pumping more money into it." Guo said that "much of Chinese clubs' spending came from private sources," as TV revenues only account for about 40-50M yuan ($5.8M-$7.2M) a year, roughly a tenth of their overall budget. Revenue from merchandising and sponsorships -- which are often taken up by the company that owns the club -- also remains "very, very small" (AFP, 12/6).
