By Andrew Warshaw
April 9 – Paris St Germain are making a major push into the Chinese market both to enhance their own ambitions to become one of European football’s superpowers and also to take on the Premier League. The French club has just signed a new sponsorship deal with Chinese telecommunications giants Huawei and also planning to play at least one game in China during the close season.
While elimination at the hands of Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday was a major blow, off the field PSG officials are looking to further strengthen their brand awareness, especially in the Far East.
Huawei are the third highest seller of smartphones in the world and will open important doors for Qatar-backed PSG as they bid for the same global recognition as Europe’s more established giants.
This year’s French Super Cup, almost certain to feature PSG as league title winners since they are runaway leaders, will be staged in Beijing on August 2 to promote the domestic league in China while IINSIDEworldfootball has learned that PSG is planning its first ever pre-season tour of Asia at the same time.
PSG’s deputy managing director in charge of business, Frederic Longuepee, explained: “We’ve been talking to Huawei for the last couple of years. We are suffering from a lack of exposure in China compared to, say, the English Premier League . We don’t have that kind of penetration or visibility. Having a partnership with Huawei will help us gain awareness. It’s a fantastic opportunity.
“From Huawei’s side, Paris is one of the most iconic cities in the world. You have two clubs in Rome and six (Premier League) in London. You only have one in Paris.
“We are currently finalising a deal to play in Indonesia on July 26, then Beijing in the Super Cup if we win the French championship, and possibly one more game in China too. We were in the USA in 2012, Africa and Europe in 2013 and now we will be going to Asia for the first time.”
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