The Dong Factor …
There is an episode of the sex and plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck, in which a patient seeks an operation to narrow his eyes so that he may appear more Japenese-looking and win the approval of his future mother-in-law.
The surgeons finally agreed to the reconstruction in recognition that a love this big should not be thwarted.
Perhaps, Giuseppe Rossi might consider going under the knife if he really wants to resurrect his Old Trafford career.
The player returned from Newcastle, relieved to hear that he still figured in Sir Alex’s first team thoughts after a disastrous loan spell at Newcastle.
“I’ve spoken to Sir Alex and I hope that there will be opportunities for me to play when I go back,” he said last month. “He has said he wants to have a big squad of players in the second half of the season and there might be an opportunity for me to show what I can do.”
“Might” soon became no chance, once Sir Alex decided to ship the player back to Parma from whence he came. Fans now understand that the reserve attacker might be too good for United’s stiffs but not yet good enough for the first team. This ensured there was little of the disapproving clamour that greeted Rossi’s summer move to the Toon. Instead, quiet resignation reigns, as yet another reserve team star sets out along the lonely path away from an Old Trafford future.
Contrast the speed at which United ditched Rossi with the warmth of the embrace extended to 21-year-old Dong Fangzhou, who has agreed a new contract with the club until 2010.
United have pulled out all the stops to secure the player and get him a work permit. Ferguson was full of praise for the Chinese international forward, citing his strike record - 35 goals in 61 games - achieved in an admittedly modest Belgian league, as evidence of his potential.
“We’re all excited he has eventually arrived and can start playing,” the manager said. “He is quick and athletic and he can only improve by training with the first team squad here.”
Fans have still to hear from the striker signed from Dalian Shide three years ago. But in any event, his words are likely to be drowned out by the deafening roar of cynics who claim Dong’s presence at Carrington has something to do with football but everything to do with a business plan for the conquest of Asia.
The arrival of the Glazers has accelerated talk of how to exploit the United brand in Asia. If China represents the new football Eldorado, then it is United who lead the chase for the golden Yuan.
By all accounts, United have squeezed all that they can from Europe, leaving the prospect of Asian fans falling in love financially with the Reds, as the only sure way for the Glazers to pay back a rising £660 million debt. If United can escape the collective sale of match broadcast rights and negotiate exclusively in the Asian market, it is believed that the club would unblock the richest of revenue fountains.
Milking the Asian cash cow was at the heart of discussions which delivered United into the corporate portfolio of global insurer American International Group (AIG). The company agreed Britain’s highest shirt sponsorship deal last year, with commentators recognising the sound business sense of the deal for both parties.
“We believe this relationship will mutually benefit both organisations and we look forward to maximizing the value of this high-profile sponsorship to help grow AIG’s businesses around the world,” said AIG’s president and chief executive, Martin Sullivan, when the deal was struck. AIG has extensive operations in Asia but wishes to profit from United’s iconic popularity across the continent.
Kingston Business School professor Tom Cannon, described the record-breaking AIG sponsorship as “a good deal, but not a great one.” He claimed that United would “need an awful lot more like this before they’re out of the woods.”
Anti-Glazer Supporters Group Must, would certainly agree. It claimed last month that the Glazer debt will increase from £660million to £733million by 2012, with fans bearing the brunt through “further price rises.”
“Over £135 million in fees (£70 million) and interest payments (£65 million) will have left United by the end of this season,” a spokesman said. “If this £135 million had been used to benefit the club, it could have paid for every regular match-going supporter to watch every home game at Old Trafford this season for free, bought the equivalent of five Wayne Rooneys with change to spare, or allowed a reduction in ticket prices to £15 for home games.
The financial meltdown threatened by the debt mountain, means United have little choice but to maximise their earning potential. A Dong crowned king of Old Trafford, is central to any short term business model that would open up the Asian market to the club’s moneymen. There are a thousand flip charts and finance graphs available to demonstrate the oceans of cash that would flow into United’s coffers from the growing Chinese middle class if Dong can be groomed by the Old Trafford coaching staff into a genuine star.
Moreover, Dong might guarantee loyalty from the legions of fickle fans watching English football throughout Asia. As China moves closer to an agreement with the world’s leading economic powers over copyright, intellectual piracy and other trade matters, United might at last reap a substantial return from merchandise sales.
Everybody wins if Dong succeeds. The club now has its man. Corporate United expects.
