The new owner of English Premiership football team Birmingham City, Hong Kong tycoon Carson Yeung, has admitted that his long-term aim is to field a team of 11 Chinese players.
Yeung is reported to have paid GBP15m for a 29.9% stake in newly promoted Birmingham, and has agreed to complete a takeover of the club
in the near future. And, according to UK media reports, he wants to put out a full team of Chinese players.
"China has some good players but I don't think they have the right attitude," Yeung said. "They stop progressing, they think too highly
of themselves. I hope they improve so that I could form a team of 11 Chinese players in the Premier League."
While Yeung maintains he will not influence team selection, he hopes to bring in "one or two Chinese players" immediately on completion of
his takeover - one of whom is likely to be Zheng Zhi, the captain of China's national team who spent much of last season on loan at fellow Premiership club, Charlton Athletic.
"I hope to have one or two Chinese players at the club, but it's the coach who will choose the players, not me," Yeung said. "So far we
haven't contacted Zheng Zhi but I think he is excellent, he's good enough. I just have the opportunity to introduce Chinese players to our coach."
Last season, three current Chinese internationals were on the books of Premiership clubs: the national captain Zheng Zhi, on loan at Charlton; Manchester United reserve Dong Fangzhuo; and Manchester City's Sun Jihai. A former international Li Tie was on the books of Sheffield United, but was release at the end of the season.
Click here to read an article about the influence of British clubs in the Chinese football league that we wrote for UK football magazine,
When Saturday Comes, in May 2007. It was commissioned following the takeover of Liverpool FC by two American businessmen who stated a declared interest in increasing the marketing of the club to Asian fans.
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