Georgiou, the chief executive of Lagardere Sports and Entertainment, told Reuters in an interview on Monday that the world order was changing fast. Driven by soccer-loving President Xi Jinping, who wants China to host the World Cup in 2030 and win it by 2050, Chinese clubs -- whose 14th season started last Friday -- have spent heavily on star players. Website www.transfermarkt.com estimates that the Super League's 16 clubs spent a combined $411 million in the Chinese transfer window, which closed on Tuesday. "Why wouldn't a Chinese club be capable of being bigger than any other club in the world? I think we are going to see for the first time, a challenger to the European dominance of football.

Source: The Star March 06, 2017 19:30 UTC