The Premier League has strengthened its links with its most important overseas market by signing a cooperation agreement with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
More than half of the 804 million homes across the world which have access to Premier League games are in Asia and the Middle East, with an average weekly audience of up to 30 million people and huge social media engagement.
The new agreement was signed by Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore and AFC president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.
It will see the league continue to operate its Premier Skills coaching programme in AFC countries, while the two bodies set up joint marketing initiatives involving their member clubs.
The AFC will provide support for the Premier League and its clubs in their promotion and marketing activity in Asia, while partnership programmes between professional clubs will be encouraged.
Scudamore said: “If you look at the numbers, the amount of countries the Asian confederation encompasses, the sheer physical geography, the population and the number of fans, then clearly it is hugely significant.
“The strategic aims of the Premier League probably looks more to Asia than anywhere else which is why mutual cooperation is very important. We also like to be good football citizens and this mutual cooperation is good football citizenship.”
Sheikh Salman added: “The whole of Asia is following the clubs in England and the Premier League is a top priority for us, which is why we wanted to establish this relationship.”
Soccer Hot News
CSL Wrap: Batalla on target, Guangzhou lead the way
Beijing Guoan maintained their perfect start to the season to keep pace with Guangzhou Evergrande at the top of the Chinese Super League.
Gregorio Manzano’s men, 1-0 winners against Changchun Yatai last week, wrapped up three more points at Dalian Aerbin courtesy of Pablo Batalla’s 51st-minute strike.
They remain second in the table behind reigning champions Evergrande, who have started the defence of their title with two comfortable victories.
Ten-man Harbin Yiteng were on the receiving end of a 4-1 defeat as Marcelo Lippi’s men laid down an early marker at the start of the new season.
Rene Junior put the hosts ahead a minute before half-time but they were pegged back in first-half stoppage time when Han Deming equalised.
Gao Lin restored Evergrande’s advantage with 20 minutes remaining and then a minute later the visitors’ task was made much harder when striker Dori was dismissed.
Evergrande took advantage in the final 10 minutes, finding the net through Huang Bowen and substitute Alessandro Diamanti to clinch an emphatic victory.
That left the visitors without a point from their opening two games, and they were joined at the foot of the table by Shanghai Shenxin, who were thrashed 5-1 at city rivals Shanghai SIPG.
The away side took a ninth-minute lead through Kieza, but SIPG were ahead by half-time thanks to Lu Wenjun and a Wu Lei penalty.
Tobias Hysen scored a second-half brace before Wang Jiayu added a fifth in stoppage time as SIPG went third, level with Hangzhou and Guizhou Renhe on four points.
Hangzhou won 3-1 at Shanghai Shenhua as Davy Angan’s first-half double put them in control. Xu Liang replied for the home side but Gilberto Macena restored the two-goal lead midway through the second half.
Renhe overcame Tianjin Teda 2-0 with goals from Chen Zijie and Zvjezdan Misimovic, while the visitors saw Cao Yang dismissed.
Elsewhere, Henan Jianye’s trip to Changchun Yatai and Liaoning Whowin’s visit to Guangzhou R&F both finished goalless.
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