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China's hopes of realizing Xi Jinping's dream of hosting the World Cup have undeniably been the driving force behind the inexorable growth of the country's influence over world football in recent years. Qualify for, host and win the World Cup have framed all the conversations about China's involvement in the sport since, an entity claims that its involvement in the global game is independent of the race by China to follow the football movement. Wanda Group has been among the biggest supporters of the World Cup in Russia, its name clearly visible on the digital perimeter signage surrounding the field in each of the 12 stadiums used this summer. Although there has been a lot of non-Chinese questioning about what the company does, there is no doubt that Wanda is present.
For Yang Hengming, CEO of Wanda Sports, one can not either question the motives of the company. Although some see Wanda's support for FIFA as a ploy to gain political favor in their country or an attempt to influence a future decision on World Cup hosting rights, he claims that the reality is very different. We made the partnership solely for our own concerns and business considerations, "Mr. Yang told South China Morning Post after avoiding the question of the future organization of the tournament by China. "Sport is our business and it was a natural business decision."
"Wanda has a deep legacy in football. There is a passion and DNA in us to grow the sport and help China and that is what we have done and that is what we have done and we continue to do.
"The Fifa partnership just allows us to have another platform that does this.Bring the expertise and bring the resources and bring the best matches in China and give the Chinese fans a world-class experience, and allow the Chinese team to compete and play with world-class teams. 
"It's really something we're committed to doing because we're able to do it as a business. We have the capacity. "
Wanda's relationship with Chinese football is unprecedented, largely thanks to the support of the company's owner, Wang Jianlin." Wang supported the Dalian Wanda club that dominated the national league in the middle of In the 1990's, winning four league titles and reaching the Asian Club Championship Final in 1998 before withdrawing support for a series of match-fixing scandals, Wanda eventually returned as a sponsor of the Chinese Football Federation. injecting money into development programs and paying the Spanish Jose Antonio Camacho as coach of the national team during the disastrous qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup.
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Since the enlargement of their participat Ion football to become a partner of Fifa, the China Cup last year, which sees facing top international teams face the national selection in order to strengthen the status of Marcello Lipp l 39 Development team, Yang says, has also been a key part of what the company is trying to do to boost Chinese football.
"Over the years, we have had investments in football and one of the things we need to do in China." The foundation and develop from an early age the young talents and c & # 39; is crucial, "he said." That's the essential part. "Six years ago, we started and now we have invested enormous financial resources and we have taken 184 children to the most prestigious clubs in La Liga in Spain and we have helped them to grow and develop.
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The other thing is that we are now able, thanks to the partnership with Fifa, to access their resources and their basic capacity. "
Despite their close and long-standing ties to Chinese football, Wanda remains an unknown entity for many in the world beyond China and a briefing given in the hospitality hall of the country. company at Luzhniki Stadium Sunday sought to address these concerns
. wants to play a role in improving the quality of the game in the country, making China's status on the ground proportional to the position of the nation in other areas.
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"As a Chinese company – and as a sports company – we certainly strive for the status of China to be comparable in terms of financial strength, economic and geopolitical, and then sports, and especially in football, "he said.
"But it will take time, it will take effort, there are a lot of things we have to do at different levels, there are efforts to be made at the government level and there are things that need to be done. done at the community level and at our level, the level of business, which we need to play an active role and that we do and we will continue to do. "
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