Erick Thohir spoke with Inter Channel after the press conference confirming Suning’s takeover in Nanjing:
“It wasn’t an easy decision but I believe in the direction we’ve taken,” the president began. “This is the era of super clubs and I can’t deny I need help. It’s important for Inter to grow and to be sustainable.
“We have a five-year plan and this is the second year. On the sporting side and the business side we’ve improved but it’s not easy in an era of super clubs and we need to really compete. I hope what I did in the last two years will be respected. Not everyone will be happy but I did my best.
“If you look at what I said in November 2013, Inter is one of the top ten brands in the world but in terms of revenue we’re number 17. With the era of super clubs, most of them have revenues of more than €300 million and it keeps increasing. With the new TV deal in the Premier League, I believe that of the top 30 clubs in terms of revenue, 20 will be from England. That’s my calculation, though maybe I’m wrong. So by next year we might go down in the revenue table to number 20 or so. We can’t just wait and see.
“As president I need to make decisions to ensure that Inter can be stable. Inter have to play in the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League. This might not be the best decision for everyone but it’s what I feel as president of Inter is the best decision because Inter need to take advantage.
“Suning Group and chairman Mr Zhang believe in this project and he wants to build and invest in Inter together. He wants me to stay as president and he wants to keep the management because he believes in the project.
“We’d been searching for a partner in China and we really believe in this partnership. Mr Moratti is an entrepreneur, I’m an entrepreneur and it’s good to meet Mr Zhang, who’s also an entrepreneur, because we can talk on the same level – we have the same feelings and the same passion. I’m excited and I want to ensure we keep growing as a club and compete in the global game.
“The management and the project won’t change. It’s a five-year plan. But what will change is the number of fans in China. Inter’s presence in China and Asia will be stronger and stronger.
“But as I said before, the heart of our fans is still in Italy. They’re the ones who come to the stadium and who support Inter with their passion. This year we had an average attendance of 45,000 people – that’s unbelievable. The number has increased and now we have the highest attendance in Italy so we have to say thank you to them.
“At the same time, because this is the era of digital, people connect to Inter globally. We have more than 100 million fans in China and we have to connect to them and connect to Asia. This is why next year and for the next five years we have decided to go to Asia so that we can be present there and China will be one our main focuses. We have 190 million fans in Asia and if you look at the data in Indonesia, the number of fans there is growing too.”
“It’s exciting to build this with the fans but our core fans are still in Italy. Things might change more on the business side and especially in China because Suning want to invest and grow the club.”
Source: Inter Channel
Inter Chanel in Indonesia….please..thohir?
Thohir did a great job and he is not done yet, we respect him
Thohir’s a man who does his research. The old days of family owned clubs are over. Football is rapidly changing and I don’t think it’s for the good, but you either adapt or you sink. I absolutely support his decision to sell in order to keep up. Spain, England and Germany are all above Italian football right now. The new tv rights contracts in England are insane. I’m absolutely annoyed with clubs like West Ham trying to buy players like Baca from Milan now. 20 mil euro is nothing to them now. But who the fuck are West Ham?!? Shaq to Stoke only cause they gave him more money than other clubs? FFP regulations that just benefit the rich? It’s all crazy and I guess the Cninese might be a good thing.