Peter Pannu on the Chinese connection
Oct 15 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail
* How is the club perceived in China and the Far East now, a year down the line?
“Frankly, Carson has the vision of featuring and highlighting the club in China, and giving it a bigger profile. He has a vision of expanding commercially into China hopefully by stirring the passion for the club.
“It’s actually easier said than done. To achieve this we need the support of the team.
“Carson’s vision for projecting the club in China is steadily picking up steam. We had a very successful pre-season tour. The team was phenomenal. The players enjoyed it.
“There were some aspects of the pre-season we could improve on, both the team and the (St Andrew’s) management. But this is the lesson learned by everybody.
“The team did embrace the new culture (I think) and the team as well as the management have settled into the fact that we have a Chinese owner.
“The fact that China has now surpassed Japan as the second-biggest economy, anyone who ignores this market ignores it at its own peril.
“Many clubs realise this. And I am glad to say that all of our staff at the club are mindful of that as well. With Chinese owners, we are in the driving seat to tap this market.
“We are collectively supporting our colleagues in Hong Kong towards that direction.
“All the gate receipts from the pre-season has been donated to charities in China. That has given us a very good platform and exposure. Hopefully we can build on this and there are plans by Carson to further enhance the club in China. With the appointment of Dr Bruno Wu as joint vice-chairman, whose connections in China are phenomenal, we are eagerly looking at opportunities in the Far East.
“Hopefully we will be able to make a mark and bring in some money that will go back into the team. The crux is that very soon, because of UEFA financial fair play rules, we will not be able to pump money into the club unless we earn it.
“So we all have to remember this. We have to earn the money somewhere, somehow and bring this money into the club.”
* Have there been any significant inroads made commercially/new investment wise?
“We have ongoing commercial discussions. We are speaking to potential sponsors all the time. You will have noted that we have put in the new LED perimeter boards at St Andrew’s. Not only does it give the club a better ambience, it shows the stature of a club fit for the Premier League. For obvious reasons I’m sure you understand I cannot divulge names of parties involved in potential talks with us.”
