The German Football Federation (DFB) may let China’s under-20 team play in one of Germany’s fourth divisions. This arrangement will be beneficially mutual, some compensation for the German clubs while helping China develop its youth as it aspires to become a world football power by 2050.
According to the Associated Press, because the Southwest Regional League is comprised of 19 clubs, each currently has two match-days free that can be used for friendly games. The one-off action would allow China’s under-20 team to prepare for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
League president Felix Wiedemann said “Nothing has been fixed yet but the clubs are all in favor. There’s a lot of interest in it. It’s important to say that there will be no points at stake, so it won’t influence the outcome of the league.”
If the plan is approved, clubs would receive €15,000 in compensation for two home games against the Chinese U20. The Chinese are planning on a base near Heidelberg in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
According to German tabloid Bild, the project could be officially presented to the public during a state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Berlin on July 5. While the China U20 team will be part of the regular fixture list, the results from their matches will not be included in the league table.
Wiedemann told The Associated Press: “It’s important to say that there will be no points at stake, so it won’t influence the outcome of the league.”
