China's richest man and Sepp Blatter's nephew plan 'rival Champions League'
Friday 9 September 2016 14:29, UK
China's richest man is working with Sepp Blatter's nephew to set up a rival Champions League.
Dalian Wanda Group, owned by Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin, and Infront Media, a Swiss company led by Philippe Blatter, are talking with leagues and clubs in Europe about creating a new tournament.
The proposed new tournament has been backed by the president of Spain's La Liga, Javier Tebas.
"If (European club competition) is reorganised as Wanda has set out, there is a greater opportunity to generate more revenue from audio-visual broadcasting," Tebas said in an interview with the Financial Times.
Infront Media did not want to comment on Friday. A spokesperson said it had nothing to add to a statement issued in July.
That read: "Wanda Sports representatives are in regular conversations with many stakeholders in the industry to explore ways in which today's sports landscape and business can be further developed.
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"There are varying ideas and concepts in discussion - all still in a very early stage. They need careful further consideration and exploration, as well as involvement of all concerned parties.
"Whether and when they would become a reality is still dependent on many factors beyond Wanda Sport's area of influence, and on an ongoing exchange with all key representatives in the industry."
Dalian Wanda bought Infront for £900m in February last year. In January 2015, Wang Jianlin bought a 20% stake in Atletico Madrid.
