China's potential in football is enormous: Heiko Vogel

Heiko Vogel, head coach of Bayern Munich second team and sporting director of the club's entire junior team, said in a recent interview with Xinhua that China has enormous potential in football due to its enthusiasm and great efforts to develop the sport.

Xinhua: Let's take a look at China. A nation with a great desire for sports and football with many millions of fans - what is your impression of China's football?

Vogel: Everyone knows Guangzhou Evergrande and can name coaches that worked for the club which shows just how intense the effort is to be successful in football. If you look at the size and the resources of the country, its potential is enormous.

Xinhua: Many Chinese parents are concerned when it comes to the combination school and football and the right time management. In Germany we have an intense dual working system of school education and football.

Vogel: I can tell Chinese parents that their concern is ours too. It is not the right way to put everything into football. There is no guarantee - the only one for a good job is school education. But it's worthwhile doing both as you learn a lot from football for all facets of life.

Xinhua: In China's sports you find a widespread campus or school sport system and - compared to Germany - the clubs are not involved to any great extent at the moment. Can you develop a successful academy system in football on that basis?

Vogel: In the US they use a similar system and I think it is a good system China can put two things together body and mind. The mixture is positive.

Xinhua: What should a national football association do in this system?

Vogel: The most important thing is that an association can organize a successful talent sifting in every part of the country. You need to find your talents and therefore you need the best.

Xinhua: For many talents you need many coaches?

Vogel: Well that is - looking at China's resources a luxury problem.

Xinhua: For many China in the first place stands for table tennis despite that the beginnings of football took place in China . . . .

Vogel: ... Cuju ...

Xinhua: ... your are an expert alright ... But how difficult is it for a country - let's says without a fundamental football history - to develop football?

Vogel: I know that the Chinese people are crazy about sport. And football is the world's number one sport, there's no doubt about that. I am sure Chinese people will accept football like table tennis, without neglecting their cultural roots in other sports. I am sure football will be established in China due to the enthusiasm for it.

Xinhua: FC Bayern is about to fly off on a China tour - is this talked about in the entire club?

Vogel: You can see that everyone is looking forward to that important visit as we know how many football fans and how many fans of our club are eagerly waiting for our team. China is a fascinating nation with a great and interesting culture.

Xinhua: Do you think Bayern Munich's youngsters will follow the first team and go on China tour?

Vogel: I am sure it's a possibility.

Xinhua: Let's talk about the new trends of educating youngsters in football. Have they changed?

Vogel: The work has developed to be much more intense and professionalized. Today you can say youngsters are on a higher level at an earlier age. The amount of specialists among the youth coaching staff has risen enormously. Today it is just impossible to work without a conditioning coach on the staff. Or teachers, physios, goalkeeper coaches, video analysts - you need to cover every part - just like you do with the first team.

Xinhua: The new academy for youngsters is currently being built. What are the highlights?

Vogel: The main problem is the limited space at the club center at Saebener Strasse. For all the people we just talked about you need space. And on top, the most important thing: grass football pitches.

Xinhua: How can you prepare youngsters to deal with high expectations? There is no club like Bayern Munich in Germany - you mentioned the club slogan "mia san mia" - which means nothing less as we are special and maybe specially good.

Vogel: Bayern Munich is both the most admired club and the one that people are particularly critical of. We are the number one and that mentality is in every team, no matter what age. If you then play a tournament there are many who are happy when there is an upset. So youngsters learn that from the beginning. So we try to ease the pressure. In the center of everything has to be fun and a love of football and playing the game.

Xinhua: How does that work?

Vogel: That's a part of the social skills of a coach. Sometime you need to hug the players or talk to them. The relationship of praise and criticism has to tend more to the side of praise. You can say: Support the positive skills of the players and work on the weak parts gently.

Xinhua: Can you tell us at the end something about the Bavarian mentality?

Vogel: Despite a world that is changing faster and faster, tradition plays a vital part. It has a slowing down effect which I love. And Bavarians are proud of their roots. I like it when people are proud of their culture and tradition. So in that regard, warm regards to China.