It started off as a bit of a joke, an insincere jester that simply persisted relentlessly until it somehow becomes very serious. In a similar way to Trump starting off as a president candidate, or the way Christmas is always months away up until it is the 26th December, you have done no present shopping and your mother and grandma are left very disappointed and gift-less.
This Chinese revolution malarkey is the same thing. Those pesky Asians began bidding outrageous money for the odd player here and there, but now, now those occasional bids are becoming daily occurrences. It was okay when the Chelseas and the Citys of this world were throwing money at the best players in the game, Robinho and Mutu could play it off as though they were coming for the glory of the Premier League rather than to simply line one’s pockets. But China, CHINA. Come on guys, let’s make it a little more subtle.
China is buying big Premier League football players
So let’s just assess the damage at the moment. At the start of this present season, we had a few ‘B-listers’ gracing the Chinese Super League, Premier League has-beens if you will. I am talking about the likes of Demba Ba, Gervinho and Tim Cahill. All good players in their day, but far from their prime at present. And that is fine, let Chinese feed from the scraps of the Premier League and pay big bucks for the privilege.
BUT NOW, now it is getting serious. Carlos Tevez, albeit he no longer applies his trade in England but still, a man who a mere six years ago complained about how footballer’s greed is ruining the sport accepted a £32 million-a-year contract to play in China… That my friends, is the definition of a hypocrite.
Shanghai SIPG have also bid £150 million or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Now again, he is not playing in England, but he plays for one of Europe’s elite, and if he goes, the floodgates may open; similarly to the knock-on effect Brexit may have on Europe (yes, we are political as well).
Oscar and Ramires, previously of Mourinho’s title-winning Chelsea side, have jumped aboard the money ship. Who knows who may follow them and, perhaps a scarier thought, how much they may go for.
What does this mean for football?
So why is this such a big deal? Football is already evolving into a corporation-driven, money-poisoned, soulless business that is a mere shadow of what it once was. Money has undeniably already taken over, but it is just a matter of how much more it will in the future. If these Chinese clubs continue to make billions of dollars seem like Monopoly money, then it is going to completely blow the market wide open, and major leagues across the world will devolve into amateur playgrounds for those rejects who do not quite cut the ‘Chinese standard.’
Then, forget football, they may takeover all sport. We may see the Chinese lodge a £500 million-bid for Andy Murray to change his nationality. Chinese clubs will start bidding £12 million for overweight darts players and begin to build an elite empire of darts. Then, who knows? If Theresa May does a good job here in the UK, boom! A £2 million house equipped with eight swimming pools and 125 toilets, a wage of £25,000 per minute and a buy-out clause of £4 billion. There you go Theresa, say no to that one.
In a world where money seems to encapsulate all aspects of life, is it too much to ask for football to remain the simple, working-class sport that it once was?
