"Chinese players can make it into the Bundesliga" , Wolfsburg CEO

"Chinese players can make it into the Bundesliga," VfL Wolfsburg CEO Klaus Allofs said in an interview with Xinhua. Following is the full text of the interview.

Xinhua: Mr. Allofs, let us talk about the great country you' ll be visiting immediately after the last league match of the 2015/2016 Bundesliga season?

Allofs: Our end-of-season journey to China is actually a well-prepared trip in keeping with the strategy we have been following at the club for many years now. It' ll be our third trip in four years.

Xinhua: Can we call you China experts - after all it won' t be your first time in China ......

Allofs: (laughing)...... to be a China expert you have to travel to the country maybe a hundred times and even then you will have only seen some regions and some of the culture ......

Xinhua: But you had a Chinese player in your squad for a while. So you might know more about Chinese mentality than others. Why didn' t it work?

Allofs: To sign Zhang Xizhe was a first step to add the most talented Chinese footballers to our squad. That he went back to China after six months is not a sign that the project has failed. Projects like that don' t always work from the beginning. He won' t be our last attempt to bring Chinese players to Germany.

Xinhua: Why didn' t it work this time?

Allofs: First of all the pressure on him was gigantic. I felt most people in China expected him to play right away. All-in-all he did a great job. He was a member of the match-day squad on a number of occasions. And he played extremely well in a friendly in South Africa. He had a lot of quality, and still has. And we are still sad that it didn' t work the way all of us wanted.

Xinhua: Was it the enormous pace at which the game is played in Europe?

Allofs: The word pace stands in this case for a different kind of football. Here there is a big focus on tactical discipline and it may have been one reason. But don' t forget coming to the Bundesliga and Germany is a total change of culture - not only regarding football. One of the other major problems is the language barrier. Things are much harder if you don' t speak German or at least English. We worked with a translator at his side but it can' t be a substitute for speaking German.

Xinhua: Zhang Xizhe additionally was at Wolfsburg when the club was going through a successful period ......

Allofs: ......exactly. The team was playing well, we finished second in the Bundesliga and at the end of the season we needed every point to secure second place and with it Champions League qualification. And I tell you what: At this time it was very hard even for German born players to get a place in the match day squad or starting eleven. I' m still convinced Chinese footballers have the quality to make it into the Bundesliga.

Xinhua: Besides looking for new talents, what else is behind your China strategy?

Allofs: We want to intensify our presence in China. We as a football club and our club owner Volkswagen is an internationally-operating company with many projects in China. By going to China regularly we want to show that we stand for a solid partnership when it comes to the country and football. We know just how intensely people in China love the game.

Xinhua: Will you only play two games against Super League club Changchun Yatai and PSV Eindhoven?

Allofs: A relationship like ours with China goes beyond two games. Our youth team recently went to China to play games. Our football school was in China, we carried out a coaches training program where several hundred Chinese football coaches were taught the latest methods. We' ve decided to take all our players which means our German internationals will travel despite the fact that they will soon begin preparations for EURO 2016. It shows we are serious about our relationship with Chinese football and its fans.

Xinhua: What impressed you most in China when you were last there?

Allofs: We noticed that Chinese people love football and know a lot about it. Enthusiasm is in general very intense. People constantly follow Bundesliga games and the German national team. We are very much looking forward to the warm-hearted Chinese hospitality. We can see the efforts the Chinese are making to improve their football. And we also played Chinese teams the last time we were there and saw the improvement that have taken place in the country.

Xinhua: From your point of view, is the right way to support and develop football by starting in the schools?

Allofs: Football needs a basis and this basis is young people playing football. It' s the same in Europe as you know. If you don' t awake the interest of your youngsters they inevitably go into other sports. Football in schools is a must. If the concept is successful, I have no doubt it will be, we can expect a lot from Chinese football in the future.

Xinhua: Football fans in China are eager to see a Chinese national team to win the World Cup in the future. How long will they have to wait?

Allofs: That is an easy calculation: Kids go to school at around 5 or six. Add 15 years and you are on the right track. Of course you need additional projects such as good foreign players in your national league, meaning not only older stars but footballers at their best age. Your leagues should be a challenge and interesting. You need a training scheme for coaches and players. As we know China is doing all this. On top your national team should be working as well as possible. (laughing) So talk let' s talk again in 15 years in advance of the World Cup final China versus Germany.

Xinhua: The Bundesliga has started a much more internationalized strategy in the last years. From your perspective is it the strategy ambitious clubs must count on in the future?

Allofs: It' s a must for us in Germany. We can' t complain that others leagues such as the English Premier League are ahead of us and just lock our doors and stay home. In the future we' ll have to make additional efforts to be on the international market; much more that we were in the last years. We have to catch up. Meaning we have to travel.

Xinhua: And that means?

Allofs: For German clubs and the Bundesliga, there has to be greater flexibility regarding games, season preparation and trips abroad. Coaches and managers will have to consider making it compulsory to hold pre-season camps and ones in the winter break further afield. China must be a vital part in that strategy. Germany might be just behind English clubs but is already ahead of Italian, French and Spanish clubs. We all know that many German fans favor games on Saturday, but in the future we have to take a close look at both: Tradition and development. Football is an international sport.

Xinhua: Talking about European leagues, how do you rate the Bundesliga compared to other European leagues?

Allofs: The Bundesliga is in a top position. You might say the English Premier League is still ahead of us, but I think the Bundesliga is ahead of most other leagues in Europe.

Xinhua: Looking at the European events in club football it seems to be obvious that Spanish football is extremely successful. Do you have an explanation for that?

Allofs: We played Real Madrid in the Champions League, we did a great job, but in the end it was no surprise for most people that we, the underdogs, lost. Spanish clubs - in the first place clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico, managed get many top international players and can offer best conditions. At the moment there' s a thrilling race going on to win La Liga. Other Spanish clubs are close behind the top three. Looking at German clubs on that level we can talk only about Bayern Munich. As rules of financial fair-play are being increasingly implemented, we will gradually close the gap.

Xinhua: Let' s talk about Wolfsburg' s games against Real again. What value did they have looking at international reputation?

Allofs: Absolutely immense. Not only regarding the interest of people internationally when it came to the two games themselves. If you face a world brand like Real you gain interest all around the world. But I tell you, you won' t get anywhere when you don' t manage to do it again. It is our goal to again play a certain role on the international stage. For now we have to get through next season when we will not be involved in Europe.

Xinhua: How hard is it to develop a team strong enough for international challenges?

Allofs: We had a team in 2012 that was fighting relegation and then we made it into the Europa League and finished fifth in the Bundesliga. Last year we came second and qualified for the Champions League. On your way to the top you have to get through years like our next one - without international competition. But it is still a vital part of our vision to be part of it all on a constant basis. Now, like three years ago, we will convince interesting players to join Wolfsburg because it is a challenging project and they have the possibility to be part of a satisfying development.

Xinhua: Goal of the next years is to get back into the Champions League?

Allofs: It' s our goal to be amongst the top four teams in Germany within the next three to five years. Meanwhile Wolfsburg is still regarded as a football spot where you can be ambitious and can live your dreams. Endit