Lucrative Asia tours hinder local leagues

FIFA General Secretary, Urs Linsi, has claimed that European clubs making commercial tours of Asia are hindering the development of national leagues in the countries they visit. "I understand that a trip like this is good for the Bundesliga and for Bayern," Linsi said at a pre-World Cup conference when asked about the German club's trip. "But what is the effect in Asia? The big leagues in Europe become popular in Asia but we get the feedback from the Asian countries looking to develop their leagues and they have problems. They need sponsorship income themselves but that is going to European clubs. It's a fact that in some Asian countries they are having to schedule their own matches to take into account the top European leagues, playing their games when there are no live broadcasts from England, Italy or Spain. The Asian football associations come to FIFA and complain that something is wrong. This is a question of solidarity. The big clubs are getting stronger and stronger and making life difficult for the smaller countries." Mohamed Bin Hammam, the Asian Football Confederation president, has said, “I am supporting Urs. We are very concerned about European teams coming to Asia and leaving after collecting money, without leaving any kind of legacy behind. They did not do anything to help national associations with any kind of football programmes. We have spoken to the Premier League and they agree that English clubs should not only come to Asia to play and go but leave behind some sort of contribution to football in Asia.”