Interview: "China and Borussia are both football developers," Dortmund CEO says

"Modern football clubs have to open up to foreign markets," Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke (57) told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"As a club you etch yourself on people's minds with games to remember in the Champions League," Watzke said.

Following is the full text of Xinhua interview with Watzke.

Xinhua: Mr. Watzke, Tell us something about your personal experience of China.

Watzke: If someone has experienced China, it's important to update this experience regularly. I know of almost no other country where everything is changing and developing as quickly as in China. Looking back over the last decades, China is growing rapidly. So is Chinese football, I hear.

Xinhua: That can't be bad news for a rapidly developing club like yours whose identity stands for young dynamic football and talents.

Watzke: So far, football has not been the No. 1 sport in China, but it's catching up rapidly. The football development program, initiated by the government, contains presumably many thousands of football pitches. We can at least expect football is catching up with, for instance, table-tennis. But you are right, it isn't bad news for us.

Xinhua: Could you be more precise, please?

Watzke: We're extremely happy about the situation, and it's fantastic being a part of the International Champions Cup (ICC), where we play games against Manchester United in Shanghai and Manchester City in Shenzhen. According to surveys we commissioned, more than 30 million Chinese football fans are interested in Borussia Dortmund. As they for the most part support us digitally, we as team and staff are delighted to have the opportunity to show them Borussia Dortmund is a special club with special people.

Xinhua: So, you see similarities between China's football and Borussia Dortmund?

Watzke: China is developing young footballers, and that is exactly what we do. Maybe on a different level, as football is Borussia's history. But looking at the task we both face, China's way fits in with Borussia Dortmund's, as both want to develop youngsters. We recently signed Ousmane Dembélé, one of the currently most promising players in football who many big clubs in Europe were very interested in. And there's Raphael Guerreiro, who just won the European Championship with Portugal while being a regular on the team as a left-back. He's a player with a lot of potential. Not only these two are proof Borussia stands for bringing on talented youngsters, and we're convinced our strategy is right.

Xinhua: How come Borussia has decided to take the course? In 2013, your club had reached the Champions League final. In Germany, Borussia is regarded as Germany's number two behind Bayern Munich. All this does not stand for a minor club.

Watzke: We don't see ourselves as a minor club at all. But one has to remember where Borussia came from after the dark hours of 2005 when the club was facing bankruptcy. At that time, the only way to get back to greener pastures was by developing young players. In 2016, over 10 years later, you can say we've become experts for young talents. To give another example, take Julian Weigl, who was part of the German Euro 2016 squad. The year before, he still was playing for second-tier club 1860 Munich.

Xinhua: Meanwhile many European clubs have discovered China as an emerging football market. Where do you see Borussia Dortmund in that context?

Watzke: We have to admit that for many years German football did not regard the Asian market as important as it is. For a long time, English Premier League clubs were the big players within the market. And we still have to catch up, but we are. What plays a vital role in Asia is the Champions League. As a club you have to be part of it, and if possible you should be successful. As Borussia is No. 8 in the UEFA - the continental federation - club ranking we get a fair share of attention.

Xinhua: You were talking about similarities between China as a developing nation and your club. What else can Borussia Dortmund do to attract further attention?

Watzke: Maybe our historical background is something Chinese people feel comfortable with. We are a club based on the working class and have one of the most impressive arenas with space for almost 25,000 people alone in our famous south stand. Borussia Dortmund stands for a young, dynamic and passionate style of football. We are an authentic club. I couldn't name another German city that has such a close relationship with its football club as Dortmund has with Borussia. At the same time, we know there is a lot of work to do.

Xinhua: And that is?

Watzke: We have to prove people in Asia as a whole and China in particular we are interested in a long term relationship. You can't get to the people's hearts and gain their attention by travelling there once or twice only. We will now visit the region on a regular basis. We will strive to enter collaborations with companies, clubs and other institutions developing footballers. As I mentioned before, we have a great experience in bringing on footballers.

Xinhua: Is it an option for Borussia Dortmund to sign a Chinese player in the near future?

Watzke: If you sign a Chinese player, it can't just be for marketing reasons. Doing that would insult Chinese football. To be honest, at the moment I hardly see a player who could provide the needed quality. Chinese football needs time to develop players. If we do sign a Chinese player, I want him to have a realistic chance of becoming a part of the top 15 players at the club. He has to have the chance of making the team for competitive matches.

Xinhua: What would you say is needed to develop football in China?

Watzke: Time, simple as that. To talk about winning the 2026 World Cup is not realistic. You need to build up football from the very bottom, in schools and clubs. Therefore you need to have coaches and teachers with expertise and a passion for the game. It all starts with attracting youngsters to football. It has to become a mass movement. In the beginning it is the coaches and teachers who will have to instill a passion and the joy for the game.

Xinhua: Let's talk about Borussia again. In advance of the coming season, there have been some fundamental changes in your squad. Ilkay Guendogan, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mats Hummels have left the club. At the same time you have signed younger talents.

Watzke: No doubt, we are going through changes at the moment. Until now we've only had to replace one player in each of the past few years and this time around it's three which you could call fundamental. We have signed six highly-talented players, and I can assure you, there are more to come. Some will have both experience and talent. We will have a good team, but it will take time. We need patience, but at the same time we don't give up our ambitions. Our goal remains to qualify for the Champions League also in 2016/17, while playing a good and hopefully major role in this year's Champions League as well.

Xinhua: In German football, many people keep looking for a club that can seriously challenge Bundesliga's top dog Bayern Munich. Borussia Dortmund won't be the one next season?

Watzke: It would be nice to be the main challengers. But looking at Bayern's squad, you can take it as a fact that it requires around 100 million euro more than our annual budget. We talk about eight world class players in that respect which increases the possibility of being successful. We came pretty close last season, but in the new season things will be harder than before. Just look at their defense. We're talking about Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng. Who I ask you is going to beat them? If Bayern doesn't show any weaknesses, it is not realistic that they will be topped in the long run. Looking at our situation, it does not help to daydream. Enough examples deliver proof of how much it can hurt you to daydream. We remain ambitious, but being Bayern's "hunter number one" is not our main goal.

Xinhua: After coach Juergen Klopp left for Liverpool, Thomas Tuchel, another coach with a lot of charisma, took over. How difficult is it to deal with such as change as a club? After all Klopp had shaped an era.

Watzke: The most important thing for a club is to function properly, no matter who the coach is. You will see that in the case of Bayern Munich, too. Pep Guardiola is a world class coach, but Bayern Munich, as a club, is bigger than any individual. If your club is run properly, the problem is not as big as some may think. In our case, we can deliver passion as a club which makes things easier. Thomas Tuchel additionally is a different type of coach as Juergen Klopp. He might appear to be not as open as Juergen Klopp, but he stands for the best coaching you can think of. For a club it is important to consider that.

Xinhua: You mentioned the value of the Champions League. How important is the Champions League for a club like Borussia Dortmund? Looking at big guns like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and a few others, Borussia is a club occupying a niche behind them?

Watzke: For us, from an economical perspective it's no longer that important whether we play in the last 16 or the quarterfinals of the Champions League. It's nice to get further because you earn more. The real value of getting into the last rounds lies in the attention the club attracts. In 2013 we made it to the final; people also will talk forever about Robert Lewandowski's four goals when we won 4-1 against Real. In 2014, we beat Real Madrid again, 2-0. Looking at the international markets, it's vital to serve up games to remember. Second, it's important to deliver ongoing success, and for this we have to provide a solid basis on which success can grow. We've been right on track for a number of years.

Xinhua: Globalization is one thing, but the local roots of a club like Borussia Dortmund seem to be important as well.

Watzke: You got the point here, and Borussia has a very special relationship with its fans. Globalization and tradition are somehow an area of conflict. But everyone including our fans has to understand that today you can't afford to close all doors when it comes to other markets and nations. No matter what standards you have in your country, you have to address people in other countries and their passion for football. We in Dortmund know our region is not the end of the story, but we will always remember where our roots lie. Borussia Dortmund stands for a special philosophy. We have no marketing events at our training ground, and this for good reason - it's a working area. With this philosophy we pay respect to our founders in a certain way. But the past can only be one part of the future and modern times. The future for football clubs doesn't only lie in Germany and Europe.

Xinhua: What would be your description of Borussia for football fans abroad?

Watzke: Living with its deep tradition, real and authentic and a true love for fans. Borussia is more intense than many other clubs. In cities of similar size you won't find such fan devotion. In Dortmund fans even cheer the team when we lose. I will never forget the party atmosphere in the stadium even when we were 18th and last in the league table. Endit