Chocolate Beckhams no longer enough for Asia

Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona were just some of the teams to complete money-spinning pre-season tours in Asia last week.

Spanish giants Real played four matches in Asia — two in Japan and one each in China and Thailand — as part of their “World Tour 2005”. Barcelona visited Japan twice.

Real also stopped over in Chicago and Los Angeles on a six-match promotional trip that netted them around $25 million.

But there were obvious signs that Real, and to a lesser extent Manchester United, had bitten off more than they could chew as disenchanted fans in China and Japan stayed away.

Asian fans have become more discerning about their football. The days when the world’s top players could turn up and simply go through the motions are over.

Real were shocked at seeing swathes of empty seats in China and Japan while United’s chief executive David Gill said he would investigate why only 25,000 fans watched them play in Beijing.

Real’s players were kept behind glass and only let out to meet local dignitaries, attend endless publicity engagements and pose for carefully choreographed training sessions.

Brazilian striker Ronaldo used Bush-speak when he said Real were out to “win the hearts and minds of the people”. They failed.

The punishing schedule clearly took its toll on the Real players who looked bored off the pitch and exhausted on it by the time they arrived in the Far East.

Real were blasted by China’s state-run media with one newspaper describing them as a “plague of locusts” for failing to give fans value for money.

Both Gill and Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge were quick to point out that their clubs were not just looking to make a fast profit.

“I understand people who criticise big clubs who come just for financial reasons,” Rummenigge said. “That’s not good for football … coming here just to make cash and then going away. Things have burned out a bit.”

Rummenigge added: “We’re here for the long term. We have a partnership with (Japan’s) Gamba Osaka and are talking with Urawa Reds about a future deal. It’s positive for Bayern Munich and Japanese football.”

United launched various ventures on their Far East trip, including a Chinese-language website and a membership scheme for supporters in Asia.

But Real have faced renewed criticism for dragging their players to Asia to sell shirts at the risk of them arriving home jaded and ill-prepared for the new season.

The club made high-profile trips to Asia in 2003 and 2004 and finished both seasons trophy-less.