Spanish men’s soccer’s top-tier LaLiga has entered into a four-year strategic partnership with the Chinese Professional Football League (CFL).
Through a deal unveiled yesterday, the two entities said they will work together “to exchange knowledge between clubs and competitions.”
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The deal is the first of its kind struck by the CFL with a top-tier European league and will focus on the overall development of the CFL.
LaLiga will offer training programs to CFL clubs in areas including grassroots soccer, economic control, audiovisual, marketing, and internationalization.
The tie-up will also involve the organization of age-group tournaments, as well as training and education modules.
In addition, the agreement entails the appointment of Javier Tebas, LaLiga’s outspoken president, as the CFL’s strategic consultant.
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By GlobalDataTebas said: “The work with the Chinese authorities in recent years has been particularly fruitful, and this agreement formalizes the work and commitment of both entities to further the sustainable development of Chinese professional football.
"The country's football potential is enormous, and we believe that LaLiga’s experience can provide valuable knowledge exchange that clubs in both countries will be able to take advantage of to strengthen their growth."
In terms of LaLiga’s presence in China, the league has had an office there since 2014, currently based in Shanghai. For the recently concluded 2024-25 season, China Media Group, Migu, and iQiyi were the LaLiga broadcast partners in that market.
Two of the league’s most successful clubs, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, also have offices there.
In terms of its overall international expansion, in December, LaLiga opened a workspace within the headquarters of the Saudi Pro League (SPL) in Riyadh.
The 20-team league (in which no Chinese players currently ply their trade) has a presence in 34 countries, with 11 global offices.
Li Kemin, president of the Chinese Professional Football League, added: “In this collaboration, we not only look forward to enhancing our exchanges with LaLiga in areas such as league operations, commercial development, and fan culture cultivation, but also aim to jointly explore new models for the development of professional football in China.”
