Chinese star to train with Magpies

By Matthew Jones
June 12 2002

Newcastle have confirmed that Chinese World Cup goalkeeper An Qi is on his way to St James' Park to train with the first-team squad.

Newcastle have confirmed that Chinese World Cup goalkeeper An Qi is on his way to St James' Park to train with the first-team squad.

The 19-year-old has been invited to join the first team in December, but there is no chance as yet of him making a permanent move to Tyneside. Despite currently representing China at the World Cup, Qi has played nowhere near the 75 per cent of recent international games needed to qualify for a UK work permit.

So he is merely coming to Newcastle with a view to a future move as part of the official link-up between United and his club, Chinese champions Dalian Shide.

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Also to report on, is the following

Newcastle have confirmed they are working with partner club Dalian Shide to create a new club in Hong Kong to enter the Chinese Premier League. With the help of Dalian Shide, United will build a stadium for the new team, Hong Kong United, and they will then apply to the HKU to join the Chinese League.

The move is the first major project embarked on by United in their new alliance with Chinese champions Dalian.

Chairman Freddy Shepherd said: "This is a win-win situation for Newcastle. This will take Hong Kong into China proper in terms of football. "The sponsorship opportunities in Hong Kong are endless and the growth potential is enormous."