SHANGHAI – Before leaving Shanghai and heading to Shenzhen with the team yesterday, Erick Thohir was hosted on China Business News TV to talk about F.C. Internazionale's relationship with China.
Inter were the first Italian club to set foot on Chinese soil when they made their inaugural trip back in 1978 for a series of friendlies against the national team and local sides. Since then the number of Nerazzurri fans in China has rocketed to reach millions. Everywhere Inter have been during this tour, they have been met by huge crowds of welcoming supporters.
The president explained: "We don't just want to reach our fans; we want to bring them what Inter represents. Ever since this club was founded we have been 'brothers of the world' – it's a deep-rooted part of Inter culture and it goes hand in hand with what our brand stands for around the world.
"With its population of 1.3 billion I think China could offer a reference point for this sport in Asia. I work in basketball as well as football and I know the NBA well but I can say that football is the biggest sport in the world, the most popular. At Inter we focus not only on countries where the game is already developed, but we also try to take this magnificent sport to places where it's still growing, to countries where football has a big future.
"Our Inter Academy project is a perfect example of this. We're currently running it in Saudi Arabia, the United States, Japan and here in China, where we recently initiated a partnership with Yitao Football Club."
Meanwhile Inter's 2015 China tour is helping to extend the club's presence on a sporting level with exhibition friendlies against international opposition.
"We have three top-class matches against Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Real Madrid. They're important for the Chinese fans who come to the stadium but also for those who watch the games on TV and for the development of the game in general both on and off the pitch," Thohir continued.
"Football is a social mission too and nowhere is that more apparent than with Inter Campus, which has been working in China since 1999 to restore the right to play to children. Sport must be something that brings young people together in society."
Football is also about dreams, of course, and not only for the children who idolise the world's most famous players.
Thohir said: "Becoming president of Inter was my dream and it came true. Inter are one of the five most popular clubs in China and that's why it's important for us to be here and to bring our football to China."
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