Interview: Bayern to intensify collaboration with Chinese football, says club official

BERLIN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich is going to intensify its supporting and talent-scouting efforts in China, the club's head of campus announced.

"As soon as the pandemic allows, we will intensify the collaboration and more players might come to Munich and go through development training," Jochen Sauer told Xinhua in an interview.

The Bavarian side recently signed the 19-year-old Chinese goalkeeper talent Liu Shaoziyang until 2025. Bayern is looking forward to working closely in terms of know-how exchange, the 49-year-old said referring to Bayern's already existing collaboration with the Chinese side Wuhan Three Towns.

Aside from close contact with its Chinese fans, Bayern's actions aim at supporting Chinese football regarding coaching and talents. "We continue to set up talent scouting and intensify it," Sauer said.

Aside from top-level sports, the German side wants to deal with mass sports education. "As we know China is a very big country, people's enthusiasm for football and sports is outstanding," Sauer added.

The German club is already running three FC Bayern Football Schools in Qingdao, Shenzhen, and Taiyuan. And in most cases is counting on the so-called dual system combining sports and school education.

Bayern some years ago became aware of the promising talent work of the Wuhan Three Towns club.

"Two years ago, the idea was born to work together regarding scouting, talent and coach development," the Bayern official stated calling the joint venture a win-win situation.

Bayern is providing support with strategies and content regarding club structures, coaches, and youth training for different age groups.

The Bavarian coach said to educate coaches might be the most pressing issue of Chinese football aside from finding a straight line. "Sometimes it was Spanish, Dutch, or Brazilian coaches. Coaches from each country always have a different approach," he said.

The next important step for Chinese football in his perspective is to develop its coaches.

Bayern's approach is to teach different pedagogical tools to address the need in any particular age group.

From the German club's view, it might be worthwhile to create fewer athletic training sessions, especially in lower age groups, and focus on game skills.

"Our advice is meant as a proposal, but we see it as vital to adjust training to suit the age of participants," Sauer said.

China is going to find its way to play football and Bayern is ready to give support.

Regarding improvements in Chinese talent education, Sauer recommended reducing the number of talents in academies.

"In Germany, we talk about 180 to 220 youngsters in an academy," he added. A greater number makes it difficult to work on individual skills. On top, Bayern tries to convey the message to include the fact that football is a team sport and it is a vital factor to consider a team's structure.

In Germany, Bayern continues its attempts to develop 'Bayern players' to increase options to rely on self-educated players.

After the way to the first team might longer than at most clubs, it remains a side-goal to educate players for first-tier teams in Europe.

"We always say, seven or eight out of 20 make their way to professional football. Our rate is the highest in Germany," Sauer said.