China to host top tournament
China will host an annual national team football tournament starting from next year, entertainment and property conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group said yesterday as they seek to build a sporting empire.
The announcement comes as Chinese companies snap up foreign players and clubs as the country increases its influence on the global game.
The Fifa-approved "China Cup" will kick off in January 2017 with a four-game tournament featuring China and three teams from Europe and the Americas, Wanda said in a statement, without identifying the non-Chinese participants.
The company expects the cup, which Wanda says is a collaboration with the Chinese Football Association and the Asian Football Confederation, to eventually feature eight teams from "among the world's top-ranking national A teams", the statement added.
- AFP.
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