Alongside the Fosun Group, which recently completed the acquisition of Wolverhampton Wanderers, these investors have conducted what looks like a Chinese takeover of West Midlands football this summer. It may extend further too, with Chinese investors in discussions to take over Hull City. He believes that Chinese investment in UK clubs, and specifically those in the West Midlands, could serve an even broader political purpose. Is this what Africans call stadium diplomacy, where the Chinese state funds new infrastructure (often sporting) in exchange for influence? “This is not stadium diplomacy,” says Chadwick, “but it is football diplomacy, or HS2 diplomacy, or Northern Powerhouse diplomacy or post-Brexit diplomacy.

Source: The Guardian August 17, 2016 10:00 UTC