Well-travelled French football manager Philippe Troussier has offered advice to the Chinese Football Association on creating a new environment for football in the world's most populace country.
"Is soccer a great event in China? I'm not sure," he told the China Daily, adding that, in Europe 80% of attendees go to the stadium just because they want to attend a match, like going to a movie or a show, but, in China, people only go to the stadiums if they are fans.
"Soccer is not only for fans. It's not because you have the same jersey as your team that you have to go to the stadium. The stadium should be open for people want to attend (a show), not just fans," he said. "But in China, the people who go to games are 100% fans, not people coming from outside. They (the league) should ask why? We have to change that and provide the opportunity for many people to go to games, not just fans."
Currently the coach of China Super League club Shenzhen Ruby FC, Troussier said "the stadium should like a theater, this is the criteria to judge Japanese football, they have very good organization. If the stadium is nice, I can put my car in the parking lot, I can go with my kids, my wife, and I can have a drink, see a very good spectacle for two hours I would want to go (to a game) every time. "But if I have no car (in China), I think people will throw eggs at me, insult me if it's not safe, I won't want to go back."
"Is soccer a great event in China? I'm not sure," he told the China Daily, adding that, in Europe 80% of attendees go to the stadium just because they want to attend a match, like going to a movie or a show, but, in China, people only go to the stadiums if they are fans.
"Soccer is not only for fans. It's not because you have the same jersey as your team that you have to go to the stadium. The stadium should be open for people want to attend (a show), not just fans," he said. "But in China, the people who go to games are 100% fans, not people coming from outside. They (the league) should ask why? We have to change that and provide the opportunity for many people to go to games, not just fans."
Currently the coach of China Super League club Shenzhen Ruby FC, Troussier said "the stadium should like a theater, this is the criteria to judge Japanese football, they have very good organization. If the stadium is nice, I can put my car in the parking lot, I can go with my kids, my wife, and I can have a drink, see a very good spectacle for two hours I would want to go (to a game) every time. "But if I have no car (in China), I think people will throw eggs at me, insult me if it's not safe, I won't want to go back."