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.”
Source: inter.it
You are the only person in indonesia who had become one of greatest club in italia and europe eventhough not many indonesian people knows you well. And sadly indonesian media doesnt really support you to be more popular in case to gain more inter fans, teenagers nowday mostly more likely fans of EPL or laliga clubs.
But I always respect you from the first time and proud.
Yeah.. Sadly 8 hour ago i go to sport shop in my area (sportstation, planet sport), i can’t find any Inter marchendise. They sell arsenal, juve, barca, l’poll and surprisingly they sell Roma’s jersey.. I just like what??! Then i try to check nike store, they only sell our last season home jersey.. What a shame..
what town you come from ronnie? that’s why fjb flourish with fake thai jersey, even their quality almost exactly the same with the original one for 1/6 price!
and your money will not go to inter with buy that crap! how could you love inter if you’re not buy original jersey? at least that’s a basic rule for fans to support your club.
yeah, i do agree with you. that’s why Inter & Nike have to manage their store better. If there is Inter Store in Indonesia or at least Singapore, i believe it will boost our income from south east asia.
I live in Indonesia.
yeah what a shame
they need to build Inter store in Indonesia (not only in Jakarta). Indonesia have a big market too.
Even Inter Store didn’t exist in Jakarta, not even a single one in Indonesia..
the closest one, I think in China. and if Nike keep doing this to us, maybe we have to think twice about they being our sponsor
Genius.
His dream should be winning the champions league as president of inter. Shame on indonesian nike stores for having last years disgrace of a jersey. Wtf is the marketing department doing over there?