Chinese Symbols?

By Chris Kirwan
August 23 2002

When Everton signed a sponsorship deal with Chinese electrical company ‘Kejian’, they also negotiated the loan signings of Chinese international duo Li Tie and Li Weifeng. But have those signings signalled the "cheapening of the club's heritage"?...

The sealing of the Kejian deal came after drawn out efforts by the Everton board to find a suitable sponsorship partner. Such proceedings have led to allegations that the signings are merely a sham designed to appease the new Chinese associates.

The problems encountered by Everton in finding a sponsor after the expiry of the contract with ‘One 2 One’ were well documented. A small offer from ‘Cream’ was said to be on the table, and rumours were even circulated that the Blues would enter the new season without a sponsor on their shirts. Then we were informed of the ‘Kejian’ deal, with the terms rumoured to be far greater than any of the other possibilities. Everton’s financial situation was, and still is, too poor to refuse on account of Li Tie and Li Weifeng being part of the deal. To call the deal “An absolute scandal and cheapening of the club’s heritage” (‘Life at a top people’s health farm’, WSAG issue 94) is a bit strong. We are all proud of Everton’s heritage, but in the currently unstable football climate a good deal cannot be scoffed at, and suggest that one deal would cheapen our heritage was surely for dramatic effect. .

The Blues may have ‘sold out’ to an extent by acceptance of the Chinese duo, but are they good enough to play for Everton? Those who say they are not good enough purely because they are Chinese should think more wisely before they dismiss them out of hand. In the latest FIFA world ranking China are at 51 while Scotland are at number 60, but we don’t think twice about the likes of Weir and Naysmith being in our side. Li Tie has already signalled his intent to earn a long-term contract, and has certainly not come along to make up the numbers. Li Tie distinguished himself far more than Weifeng in the World Cup, and started with a steady game against Spurs; he stood up for himself and didn’t shirk his responsibility. In that one game he looked far more at home than Tobias Linderoth has to date.

The case of Li Weifeng gives a lot more ammunition to the doubters, because there remains serious suspicion about whether Moyes actually wanted him at the club. Whereas Moyes had commented on Tie and gone to watch him in the Far East, the signing of Wiefeng came as a shock to all when the deal was announced, including the boss. ‘Bluekipper’ reports that he has a solid enough debut in the reserves and didn’t look out of place, but did the Everton defence really need further strengthening?

One can only assume that the Everton board are hoping that the Chinese presence in the first team squad will help market the Blues to the Oriental market. The opinion has widely been given that “if it helps sell a few shirts in China then it’ll be worth it”. This is hugely insulting to the Far East; the notion that the Blues can march in and take the market by storm is misplaced. The Far-East market is like any other, it sways to the successful and that is Manchester United, Arsenal, and yes, Liverpool. The presence of a couple of Chinese players is unlikely to create a dramatic U-turn. During the World Cup we all saw the attention that the likes of Beckham, Owen and Totti received, it is the stars of world football that grab the headlines, not the local players. Changing the names on the back of shirts from Beckham to Tie, or even Weir, is not an easy task.

The potential of the Far-Eastern market was brought to everybody’s notice during the World Cup. Bill Kenwright no doubt saw the images of Seoul city centre and envisioned the streets teeming with Everton shirts on Cup Final day! But we cannot treat the potential market like it will lap up anything we throw at it; the Chinese public will not just wear Everton merchandise because it bares the Kejian logo (would you buy a foreign club’s shirt if it was sponsored by BT Cellnet?).

Whether or not the Chinese market can realistically be tapped into is not the foremost worry on the minds of most doubters, it is the perceived corruption of the clubs morals. The growing influence of outsiders into the manager’s duties is a trend we should all try and prevent. But unfortunately it is a sign of the times. By all accounts this happens at every club in the country, after all it was Kenwright who engineered the re-signing of Ferguson, Alan Sugar set up the Klinsmann deal without Ardiles’ knowledge, and Milan Mandaric uses his influence to attract the likes of Prosinecki to Portsmouth. But unlike such deals the case of Li Weifeng being signed without the knowledge of Moyes involves a player who does not already have a well-established reputation. This is severely worrying as the predominant interest seems to be that of marketing, and whether or not this is becoming increasingly influential in football, marketing should not dictate who the manager has at his disposal.

Maybe we’re all making too much of what is in essence just a sponsorship deal. Li Tie and Li Weifeng are just on one-year deals; there is no long-term commitment. But what most Evertonians are worried about is that it may prove to be the foot in the door for those more interested in matters off the pitch. Has putting morals aside for the sake of a good deal had deeper implications, or is it just another name on the front of the shirt?