Interview: China should focus on talent development, says Dortmund CEO Watzke

Hans-Joachim Watzke has been Borussia Dortmund's CEO since 2005. The 57-year-old is regraded to be one of the most influential figures in German football. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Watzke talks about the importance of China's football and Chinese fans for the 2012 German champions. China's actions to develop football would be on a good way.

Xinhua: Mr. Watzke, Borussia Dortmund will visit China again in 2017. How important is it for your club to build up a relationship with the country's fans and football in general?

Watzke: It's very important for us. Travelling to China again is a signal that we take the collaboration with Chinese football very seriously. Last year, we noticed a big improvement in Chinese football which we want to support. The interest in football in China has increased significantly and people's enthusiasm is growing. As one of the most successful and also most popular clubs in Europe, we feel an obligation to be part of the development and reach out to over 30 million BVB fans in China. We decided to bolster the collaboration with Chinese football and many of our representatives like club legends like Lars Ricken or Karl-Heinz Riedle are available all through the year.

Xinhua: What exactly did you experience in China last year?

Watzke: We remember the very warm welcome given to us by fans at the airport and every city we visited. We got to know the people's deep interest in football. As a professional football club, we travel a lot so I really can say the interest in China for football and Borussia Dortmund in particular is exceptional.

Xinhua: The thing that attracts fans to your club is the fact that you follow a special strategy when putting together your squad as you don't follow the usual strategy of the major clubs who buy big stars. You sign highly talented young footballers . . . . .

Watzke: . . . we take pride in developing young footballer to world class. See Mats Hummels, who joined us as an 18 year old. See Robert Lewandowski, whom nobody knew when we signed him from Poland. See Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. And there are many more of such examples. Not the least in our current squad.

Xinhua: As China is making great efforts to develop football there, do you have any advice about the strategy they should pursue?

Watzke: Developing youngsters would be a good way for China too. It's understandable that Chinese fans are attracted by big names and of course you need names, but we feel the Chinese government and football association are right in restricting the number of foreign players and making it compulsory to pick at least one domestic U-23 player. To develop football, you need Chinese players and must not have too many foreign players. Considering China's size and population, the reservoir of players with potential should be high enough. That means you should start in the schools and train coaches in China.

Xinhua: Into which areas in your view should China invest first?

Watzke: One has to invest in school football and new pitches but that is exactly what is happening in China. 70,000 new pitches have been or will be built and youngsters are being taught football at school on a mandatory basis. The next step would be to intensify development and set up junior teams. Reserving six to seven places in the teams for Chinese players might be difficult in the first two or three years but their football will benefit from it in the near future. It will take several years to see real progress, therefore patience is essential.

Xinhua: Is there anything comparable in German football?

Watzke: In 2009, I watched the U-21 European Championships in Sweden. Many of the German team at the time are now household names. Players like Hummels, Mesut Oezil, Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng and Sami Khedira were about 20. Five years later, they won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It will take time to develop talents and as I said, you have to be patient, but it's the best way to improve.

Xinhua: Any additional examples?

Watzke: Look at the US 20 to 30 years ago when clubs there were signing big names such as Franz Beckenbauer, Pele, Gerd Mueller, but the development of their own youngsters was neglected. Today they are developing football from the bottom up and are successful. They still sign players from abroad for the league teams but are also developing their own juniors. And it starts to pay off already. Just recently they won the CONCACAF under 20's championship.

Xinhua: A close relationship with fans is important for football and clubs. Borussia Dortmund seems to have a very close and special relationship to its fans. Please tell us more about how it's come about.

Watzke: For German clubs it's important that your fans have the feeling they are part of the club and not just as punters. We listen to our fans and 28,000 of them can continue to stand at games. As Dortmund is a traditional industrial city and not so prosperous, we only charge 11 to 14 euro for a ticket there. For us, it's vital we give everybody the chance to watch our games. But the German way is not invariably the right way for other countries.

Xinhua: Football in general seems to have a great importance to people in Dortmund.

Watzke: There might be specific regional reasons as Dortmund is not a very big city with lots of activities besides football. Therefore every game is some sort of a holiday here. Don't forget we're the fourth biggest club in the world with more than 145,000 members.

Xinhua: We've never seen so many club flags and stickers on the cars, and it's not match day.

Watzke: When we played Benfica Lisbon four weeks ago, their president told me how much he was impressed by the close relationship between club and city. To him there was a real unity. And that says a lot, as Benfica is one of those only three clubs in the world who are still greater than us in terms of members. The other two are Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona...

Xinhua: We wonder if it's difficult uniting the demands of international and national fans as you are operating increasingly within the international market.

Watzke: We work hard to satisfy both sides. Some people are worried they might be alienated as we have to consider foreign fans and markets. So we have to tread carefully.

Xinhua: What can you do to ease the worries?

Watzke: As for the fans, you have to keep commuting with them and listen. We try to explain the necessity to operate within internationals markets as we have to gain additional income in order to catch up with the big guns of international football. At the same time, we are committed to our local identity, meaning we will never forget where we come from.

Xinhua: Speaking about identity the names of clubs in China often change according to their sponsor or investor. That does not seem to strengthen the connection to fans?

Watzke: If something like that happens, it's not just bad, it's a worst-case scenario. As a club you have to gain identification and be a brand no matter who are your partners. Changing your name every five years does not allow fans to develop emotional connections. People know what the Borussia Dortmund brand stands for. I hope it's something that China clubs consider in the future. The sponsor can be a visible part on the shirt but not the one who determines club policy.

Xinhua: In Germany, football relies on the so-called 50-plus-one rule which forces clubs to keep the majority of shares in their own hands. Does that make sense for China as well?

Watzke: The rule is very good for Germany and most parts of Europe. Just look at the most successful clubs in world football such as Barcelona, Real Madrid. They are all 50-plus-one clubs. Whether it's right for China is difficult to say. That to evaluate is something for the management there.

Xinhua: Isn't it a problem when sponsors or investors change and maybe want to even influence the starting line-up?

Watzke: Investment and influence are strongly connected naturally. As a club, you have to decide between the amount of money and the amount of influence you have in the future. I feel it is better to rely on sponsorship rather money from investors. Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich rely on big sponsors but not on big investors wanting to run the club.

Xinhua: So identity is important. As a club, you might open the doors and welcome sponsors, but at the same time tell them, you won't run the club?

Watzke: Which clubs are winning Europe's major competitions today? The same who did so 50 years ago. Already. Real, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United. Other clubs might be strong competitors but the big brands are around for over 100 years. Paris St. Germain is a rich club due to its investors, but has never won a big title and is not regarded as one of the biggest football brands in Europe. This might change in the next decades, but I'm sure Bayern, Real and Barcelona will also still be around.

Xinhua: Borussia Dortmund some years ago went to the stock market. Can you describe why the club still kept its identity and is still in full control of its operations?

Watzke: The main point is to keep power within the club's hands. Our club is divided into two parts. There is the shareholder company and the club. But it's the club that manages the shareholder company. As the CEO, I, like the rest of my colleagues, am a club employee. This prevents the club from being subject to too much outside influence. In Dortmund, we have four bigger shareholders having five to six per cent of the shares.

Xinhua: Can you describe the structure of the shareholder company?

Watzke: There are two people at the top, one for finances and myself, and then, most important, we have different directors like former Dortmund player Michael Zorc who is responsible for football side of things. If we consider buying a player then three people have a say - the coach, the sports director and myself. If we agree we talk it over with our director of finances. Those lean structures allow us to take action within few days.

Xinhua: Talking about your nurturing of talents, what is important for you and what attracts youngsters so much to BVB?

Watzke: First, it's important to have our youngsters close to the first team, but also to the school, which is close to our training ground and the academy therein. Our youngsters have a full schedule with training, games and school, so we want to keep ways in close distance. Secondly, they have a better chance of playing in the first team at Borussia Dortmund than at other clubs. It's what you'd call a unique selling point. We don't want to develop players to sell them with profit afterwards. Alexander Isak might be a good example. The young Swede's club already had an agreement in place with Real. But the player himself said he wanted to join Dortmund as his chance of playing would be much bigger. One has to imagine: He said no to Real and yes to Borussia Dortmund - because of our philosophy, which is well-known meanwhile throughout the football universe. Ousmane Dembele was similar. Many big clubs wanted him, but he chose to come here.

Xinhua: Why is it so important for youngsters to attend school next to football?

Watzke: Over 95 per cent of the talented youngsters won't reach the national team or the Bundesliga for various reasons. Therefore, it's important to have other options allowing them to lead a normal life and earn themselves a living. They can also go on to study or train for a job. Endit