Yutang Weekly (7.20-7.25)

   

Evergrande Spring partners with Bayern Munich

Guangzhou Evergrande FC held a joint press conference with Evergrande Spring and Bayern Munich FC yesterday to announce a three-year deal between the Guangzhou-based mineral water producer and Bundesliga giants. The deal will see Evergrande Spring, a subsidiary of the Evergrande Group, become a regional sponsor of Bayern Munich until 2018. But financial terms were not revealed. The agreement covers the use of brand image rights in China. This has been seen on stadium advertising boards during the Audi Summer Tour 2015 and will also involve a TV commercial featuring FC Bayern players in China. Bottles of FC Bayern mineral water will also be sold in retail outlets.

Huawei extends Ajax Cape Town sponsorship

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei has renewed its partnership with football side, Ajax Cape Town, for another year. Huawei agreed a provisional two-year deal with Ajax Cape Town last October and retains the option to extend for another two seasons at the end of the current term. Huawei had the right to review the arrangement after one year. The Ajax Cape Town sponsorship announced last year was the first such deal in South Africa for the global smartphone brand. Ajax Cape Town players will receive Huawei devices and accessories under the partnership and serve as brand ambassadors. 

Letv Sports to start fundraising Series B

A co-founder and deputy president of Letv, named Liu Hong, lately revealed that Letv Sports, as the emerging online sports media entity in China, is looking to raise its second round of funding. After securing $129m from investors in the first round of fundraising, Letv Sports now aims to “create a fairy tale” in sports media sector by proceeding fundraising Series B. According to media reports, Letv Sports could seal around $3b of funds this time. 

Letv Sports signs partnership deal with UEFA

Letv Sports has announced a deal with Union of European Football Association (UEFA) on July 16 under which Letv has acquired rights for a number of UEFA properties in China. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Letv Sports has secured rights to UEFA Champions League, Europa League and UEFA Super Cup covering the next three seasons starting from 2015-16, with the agreement giving Letv Sports rights to live stream up to 341 matches per season in China.

Letv Sports secures football rights from MP & Silva agent

Letv Sports has signed a strategic collaboration with the MP & Silva agency under which the sports-rights venture, which is operated by Chinese IPTV operator Letv, has acquired rights for a number of properties in China. Letv Sports has secured rights for football’s top-tier Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1 and Belgian Pro League plus English football’s FA Cup, Football League Championship and Capital One Cup. The deal also includes rights to the Scottish Professional Football League, Brazil national team global tour football matches, England national football teams and the recently-concluded 2015 Copa America national team tournament. 

Double Group to acquire DeSports at RMB820 million

Wuhan Double Co., Ltd, or Double Group, a listed investment company in China, has reportedly announced a plan at Shanghai Exchange to fully acquire a sports marketing company named DeSports (Double-Edged Sports) at RMB820m. Under the plan Double Group will offer the shareholders of DeSports both shares worth RMB8.09 million and RMB11m cash. DeSports, as Double Group revealed, would take advantage of their resources and platform to grow in sports tourism, sports videos and sports brokerage. DeSports lately partnered with Spanish sports agency Media Base Sports. 

Youth soccer program connects Beijing school students with EPL

Richard Shore, Acting Regional President Jaguar Land Rover Greater China, and Tang Jiuhong, Director CSCLF Funds Department, kick-off the final. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Never in their wildest dreams would players from Beijing's Tongzhou Yunhe Primary School imagine one day they could watch a live English Primer League soccer match in the United Kingdom.

Thanks to the Premier Skills, a youth soccer promotion program initiated by UK automobile manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, students from the eastern Beijing primary school will be able to travel to the UK in September to attend various soccer exchange activities with their British counterparts and to watch a live EPL match as the winning squad of the final of the PS campus tournament.

The squad from Tongzhou Yunhe Primary School was among 20 primary schools in Beijing taking part in school-based training sessions and the inter-school tournament, which kicked off on July 13.

Players from another finalist team of Tsinghua University Primary School will also be invited to the UK for interactive and entertaining soccer exchange activities as well as community soccer exploration tours.

It's been the second year on JLR's committee to help youth soccer development in China since it established the Jaguar Land Rover China Children & Youth Dream Fund last May. Through the fund, the company supports development of children and youth in four areas including Sports for All, Road Safety and Social Care.

At the first anniversary of the fund on May 28, a coach training session was held in Beijing as the start of this year's event, which saw physical education teachers from 20 participating schools learn youth training expertise from visiting British coach Paul Hughes, who has trained players at EPL level.

Guangzhou Evergrande stun Bayern in penalty shootout

Players of Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC celebrate after winning the International Friendly Match of Volkswagen Cup between Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC and Bayern Munich FC at Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province

GUANGZHOU - Guangzhou Evergrande's goalkeeper Zeng Cheng became the hero as he denied Thomas Muller's spot-kick and helped his team beat the German giants 5-4 in penalty shootout here on Thursday.

Bayern's first attempt by Muller in shootout was saved by Zeng Cheng while Paulinho, Kim Young Gwon, Yu Hanchao, Zhao Xuri and Feng Xiaoting held their nerve to convert spot kicks, helping Evergrande take away the victory.

FRIENDLY GAME in Guangzhou:
Guangzhou Evergrande - Bayern München 5:4 o.p. (0:0, 0:0)
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LINE-UP/Aufstellung: 19-Zeng Cheng 曾诚, 25-Zou Zheng 邹正, 3-Mei Fang 梅方 (46./12-Wang Shangyuan 王上源), 6-Feng Xiaoting 冯潇霆, 17-Liu Jian 刘健 (46./28-Kim Young-gwon), 48-Paulinho, 27-Zheng Long 郑龙, 10-Zheng Zhi 郑智 (69./21-Zhao Xuri 赵旭日), 11-Ricardo Goulart (69./34-Wang Junhui 王军辉), 56-Robinho (46./20-Yu Hanchao 于汉超), 29-Gao Lin 郜林 (76./18-Dong Xuesheng 董学升)