CHINA TOPIX

05/02/2024 05:26:14 pm

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Legendary Chinese Football Coach Xu Genbao to Buy Spain's Segunda División B Club La Hoya Lorca

Xu Genbao (middle)

(Photo : Getty Images) Xu Genbao (middle) attends the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on April 15, 2015. Xu is set to buy Spanish Segunda División B club La Hoya Lorca CF to expand his company's reach and help develop young Chinese and Spanish football players.

Legendary Chinese football manager Xu Genbao is reportedly set to buy Spanish Segunda División B club La Hoya Lorca CF and also open a soccer youth training camp in Lorca, Spain.

The 71-year-old former China international travelled to Spain last week together with his representatives to complete the purchase of El Brócoli Mecánico. The team, which was founded in 2003, is currently housed at the Estadio Francisco Artés Carrasco in Lorca, Murcia.

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Xu, chairman and general coach of the Shanghai East Asia football club and owner of the Genbao Football Academy, is said to be the "sole investor" of the Segunda B club. He reportedly received support from Shanghai sports officials to purchase the Spanish team, Shanghai Daily reports.

After launching the Shanghai Chongming Genbao Football Club in China in July, Xu is now planning to open a new youth training camp for Lorca. He was reportedly "impressed" by the passion of the young people in the autonomous community of Murcia for football since he first visited it two years ago.

Yutang Sports indicated that there are "1,200 young players" in Lorca's football academy and Xu is keen on helping develop them as well as those in his hometown of Chongming.

"Lorca club's football school is what attracted me, and I want to build an overseas football training base," Xu told reporters during an interview. "Young players from Chongming and Spain can communicate. Domestic players can go to train in Spain and even play in the Segunda league. The interaction between clubs and training bases will help bring up future stars."

Xu disclosed that he is planning to bring the best Chinese young players to train in Spain and eventually play for the club afterward. He believed that "the combination of quality training and professional matches can help Chinese players grow rapidly," according to ECNS.

Xu is also the general consultant of the Shanghai SIPG FC. The team finished as a runner-up to five-time champion Guangzhou Evergrande in the recently concluded 2015 Chinese Super League by a mere two points in the overall standings this season.

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