鸿俊洞见：没钱没诚意？就别投资足球了

根据最近英国媒体BBC的报道，中国的投资者原本已经同意收购荷甲球队海牙，他们希望打造一支欧洲新贵，并且承诺未来会有进一步的投资。但没有实际的资金注入让很多媒体和评论者表示这是中国足球投资者的耻辱。我要说的是，这已经不是我第一次发现类似的情况了。

2014年，有两支英国球队在我的帮助下将球队四分之一的股份出售给了中国商人。当时他们签订了法律协议，资金方面也得到了许诺。但在未来6个多月的时间里，投资人对于资金为什么没能到账做了各种解释。与此同时，球队的老板不得不用自己的钱来让俱乐部正常运营。最终，中方的投资者毫无悔意地选择了离开，留下的只有球队老板沮丧和尴尬的背影。

为了不让自己看起来太过愚蠢，2014年我还和一位中国商人做了笔买卖，当时他问我是否可以帮忙邀请一支英超前四的球队来中国踢一场比赛。我的答案是可以，之后我就给那些球队的高管打了电话，和他们讨论了一下一个为期四天的来华计划，包括比赛和与赛事相关的所有信息。这位中国商人知道这不是一笔小费用，但他告诉我们他会及时得到赞助商的协助以解决资金问题。

但三个月之后，也就是准备签合同和支付第一笔款项的时候，这个人却消失了。他不接我们的电话，我去他的办公室堵他，但他依然拒绝在合同上签字。这样的事情让球队对中国商人产生了不好的印象，他们认为这些人根本不是诚心实意的。

当然，文化的差异是导致类似事情发生的原因之一。在西方人眼中，只有我们真的希望收购一支球队，我们才会展现出自己对球队的兴趣。更重要的是，我们知道我们必须有足够的资金才可以这么做，因为一旦签订了合同，就意味着你承担了法律的义务，法律会督促你必须这么做。

但从中国文化的角度来看，在你确认你真的对这支球队感兴趣或是你有足够的财力购买之前，你可以和球队的老板见面，和他们聊聊，展示你的兴趣，这是完全OK的。可能正是这种想法让西方人对中国商人留下了不太好的印象，美国人将这种行为称为“踢轮胎”(kicking the tires)，意思是指中国商人会看一看，展现自己的兴趣，之后就消失了。这种想法让那些诚心实意的中国投资者受到了不小的损害。

最近几个月，我和几位中国投资者有过接触，他们希望购买一支球队或者收购一支顶级球队的大部分股份。这次我在一开始的时候就很直接地和他们确认了他们购买的兴趣，因为之前的经验告诉我中国的确有很多不诚心做生意的人。考虑到俱乐部表面上的价值以及日后它可能为投资者带来的政治或商业资产，很多商人投资俱乐部的想法都是非常感性的，很多时候这种兴奋劲都掩盖了球队老板经营一支球队的真实情况。

所以我问每一个人的问题都非常直率，这些投资者必须证明他们有足够的资金投入(这样才可以证明他们有足够的资金完成这笔交易)，他们才可以和球队的老板进行谈判。如果他们连这样基本的谈判都无法进行，那么未来的事情更无从谈起。但这种做法让很多中国的投资者不开心，因为他们认为这是缺乏信任的表现。但一支球队的老板不希望在那些没有诚意的投资者身上浪费太多时间，当然，因此他们也很可能和一些真正可以完成交易的人擦肩而过。

还要提到的一点是，足球是一项特别的商业活动。他和很多产业的工作原理不同，和中国的产业更是天差地别。因此投资者在准备收购一支球队之前必须向那些懂足球商业的人讨教经验，或是自己花大量的时间去学。更重要的是，在谈判的过程中，投资者一定要找到一种正确的方式，避免和球队的老板产生分歧，尽可能减小谈判中的风险。这是一个不小的挑战，因为两人必须面对不同文化带来的冲突。

很多球队的老板都知道他们其实只是某个组织的管理者，他们必须确保他们的接手者有足够的能力来帮助球队得到进一步的发展。足球俱乐部是一个有生命、有个性的事物，每一个投资其中的人都必须先了解这一点。

我最后要说的一点的是策略。完成购买球队的程序是一回事，如何经营球队是另一回事。近几年中国在足球领域的投资掀起了一波热潮，但那些新的球队拥有者或者大股东在正式接手球队之前必须有一套合理的策略。他们必须知道他们收购球队所花的费用只是开始，如果他们希望球队盈利，他们未来还需要更多的投资。要知道，经营一支球队永远也不是一项低成本的活动。

即使新老板上任之后依然保留着原有的球员和教练团队，但他们必须为球队提供一个新的方向，球队的每个人必须知道球队的展望和目标。这对于那些刚刚接触足球的新老板们来说不是一个简单的任务，他们不仅要关注球队的大方向，甚至还要关注球队日常微小的管理事宜。

显然，中国商人有足够的财力去收购一支球队，目前中国各地的政府也开始专注于发展这项美丽的运动，因此一定会有很多人追随这股风潮。但这就像你有足够的钱去买一辆法拉利一样，只有知道如何驾驶，知道如何操控才可以将它的性能发挥到极致，而不仅仅让它成为一个摆设。你必须找那些懂得如何驾驶法拉利的人，向他们讨教，或是坐在副驾驶座上看他们是如何驾驭的，这样你才会有足够深刻的印象。

海牙和我朋友的两支英国球队都证明了一件事情，不管是谁，当你希望收购一支球队的时候，你都必须了解他们的历史，这样才能避免给中国的足球投资者们烙上一个不光彩的名声。

The recent BBC report about a Chinese investor agreeing to purchase Dutch side ADO Den Haag, promising topEuropean football and further investment, and then not actually paying the money caused some mediacommentators here to say this was humiliating and a slur on Chinese investment in football; I have to tell you that thisis not the first case of behaviour like this that I am aware of.

In 2014, I helped the owner of an English League two club find and agree to sell over one quarter of his club to a Chinese businessman, a legal contract was signed and monies were promised. For over 6 months the investor gave reasons why the money had not or could not be sent, in the mean time the clubs owner invested more of his own money into the clubs activities that he hadn’t planned to due to the expected Chinese investment.

In the end the Chinese investor basically walked away without remorse, leaving the clubs owner frustrated, embarrassed because everyone knew of the impending deal and out of pocket by a huge amount of money.

Not wanting to make myself look very stupid, in 2014 I also had football dealings with a Chinese businessman who asked if we could bring a specific top four EPL team to China to play a match. The simple answer was yes, and we duly had telephone calls with the senior staff of the club about the four-day visit, the match and everything associated with the event. He was aware of the cost to bring the team over from the initial contact and assured us that he had the sponsorship in place to cover it.

When it came to signing the contract and making a first payment after about three months of planning, the man disappeared, he didn’t answer his phone and although we visited his offices unannounced to confront him, he just refused to complete the deal. Of course the club concerned also got a bad impression of Chinese business people; we had all met another tire kicker!

There is of course an element of culture differences playing their part here. From the western perspective we wouldn’t show real interest in buying a football club unless we meant it, and more importantly we knew we had the money to pay for it, because once we sign a contract we are legally committed to doing it.

From a Chinese cultural angle, maybe its OK to meet the clubs owners, show a level of interest and talk as though the deal is done without really being sure you will or can deliver on it. Having said this, the latter scenario has resulted in Chinese business people gaining a reputation for what the Americans call ‘kicking the tires’ i.e. taking a look, showing interest and then disappearing. Genuine Chinese investors are now affected by this universal perception.

In recent months, I have been involved in working with some Chinese investors who say they want to buy outright or to purchase a majority shareholding in top-level football clubs. From the outset, I must be firm and straight with them because, unfortunately I know from my own personal experience as do some of the club owners, that there are many Chinese ‘tire kickers’ out there.

The idea of owning a club is very emotional both for its face value, and the political/business capital it could bring any Chinese business owner, but unfortunately this excitement is simply the gloss on the reality of club ownership.

So everyone I speak to is told quite bluntly, that no club owner will even engage in any sort of simple conversation until they are shown ‘proof of funds’ which means that the potential investor must formally prove that they do actually have the money to complete the deal; If they cannot do this the conversation will go no further.

This starting position often upsets a potential investor from China because understandably they see it as a lack of trust, and its true, because of the reputation Chinese business people have in general and more recently in football, a club owner wants an assurance that he/she isn’t wasting time in talking to someone who turns out to be only kicking the tires, because they may well have said no to another potential buyer who really could complete the deal.

A further point to make is that football is a unique business; it works quite differently from other industries and is very differently from a business in China. The investor therefore needs to either take advice from someone who understands how the football businesses actually works or take time to learn this themself. Its important to speak to the clubs owners in the right way to avoid confusion and to minimise any risks during the negotiation, a challenge that is also compounded by a difference in national cultures.

Many existing club owners understand that they are in fact just the custodian of the organisation and when they hand it on to the next owner, this person or organisation must have the right qualities and vision to maintain and potentially grow the success of the club. Football clubs have a life and a personality, and anyone investing in one, needs to understand this.

My last point relates to strategy. Going through the process of buying a club is one thing, owning and running it is another. The great urge to invest in football clubs that is currently bubbling in China is excellent, but the new owners or majority shareholders need to have a strategy in place before they officially take over, they also need to understand that the money they used to buy the club is simply the first of what could be a great deal of money they need to invest in future; owning a football club is not a low cost investment.

Even if the new owner keeps the existing management team and staff, they will need direction, they will need to know the vision and have a commitment from the clubs owner to the finances to deliver the vision. This is not an easy task for any investor new to football, and certainly not to those from China for whom very long term planning isn’t normal, and where day-to-day micro management is common.

It is clear that Chinese businesses have the money to buy football clubs, and with government directives focused on developing the beautiful game in China, this wind is certainly one to follow. However you can have the money to buy a Ferrari, but unless you know how to drive or to handle a car with that sort of performance there is a chance that you might crash it and waste the money. Having special driving lessons from someone who knows how to drive such a vehicle, or having them drive for you while you watch and learn would make more sense.

ADO Den Haag and my friends English League two team also demonstrate that anyone wanting to buy a football club at any level needs to understand the history that proceeds them, and avoid giving Chinese football investors a worse name by doing the same thing.

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