Yutang Weekly (2016.3.14-2016.3.19)

Wanda Group joint forces with FIFA

FIFA officially announced Chinese commercial powerhouse Wanda Group as their newest top lever partner in Zurich yesterday (19 March) in the presence of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Wanda Group’s Chairman Wang Jianlin.

The agreements will see Wanda Group become a top level sponsor of FIFA World Cup for the next four editions. The deal will see Wanda Group as the first Chinese company to sign up as a partner of the world’s governing body of football. Wanda will have the rights to launch a range of promotional campaigns until 2030 as part of the agreements.

John Terry to meet Chinese fans in Shanghai

Chelsea fans in China can win the chance to meet Chelsea captain, John Terry, during the international break later this month, thanks to a competition organized by the Premier League club’s principal partners Yokohama.

Terry will be in Shanghai on 21 March for a series of Yokohama-sponsored activities, where his schedule will include a football coaching clinic and a gala dinner for Yokohama’s clients and customers, according to the Premier League club’s official website.

Inter Milan to launch Academy in Nanjing

Inter Milan are set to open a new Academy in Nanjing, with start-up operations rapidly gathering pace in the province of Jiangsu.

Two Inter Academy coaches, Luigi Mainolfi and Simone De Luca, will arrive in China at the end of March to begin work with the ten schools and 20 trainers, which were selected for the project following a careful assessment process.

Le Sports seals exclusive FA Cup broadcast rights

Le Sports, the sports arm of the Chinese e-commerce giant LeEco, has secured the exclusive broadcasting rights for the FA Cup over the next three seasons, from 2016/2017 to 2018/2019.

This news comes just two weeks after the company announced it had been awarded the exclusive broadcasting rights for China’s top football league, the Chinese Super League (CSL).

Juventus launch Chinese digital fan community

Juventus have announced plans which will please their Chinese fans through a unique digital platform: the Juventus Chinese Digital Fan Community.

According to an official report posted yesterday, the community is a result of the Bianconeri’s recent partnership with Luvfans (Chinese:乐粉网) , a Chinese network technology company that focuses on celebrities’ fan engagement.

CCTV to broadcast CSL

China Central Television (CCTV) has entered into a deal with Ti’ao Power on the broadcasting rights to the Chinese Super League (CSL), according to a report on domestic site Lanxiong.

The report says that, under this agreement, CCTV’s sports channel CCTV 5 will air aCSL match on Saturday nightforeach round with20 more CSL matches at random over the course ofthis season. In addition, CCTV 5’s live CSL coverage must broadcastat least one home game fromeach CSL club duringthe 2016 season.

Soccer World China signs with Manchester City

Soccer World China has reportedly agreed a two-year partnership deal with English Premier League giants Manchester City FC, according to a report on Lanxiong.

The deal will see Soccer World China become the non-professional soccer partner of Manchester City in China. Under the agreement, the two sides will work together on brands, youth training and promotional campaigns.