‍‍‍‍Wang Jianlin, the President of Wanda Group, has been invited to attend the 65th FIFA Congress to be held in Zurich on 29 May. He is reported to be the only Chinese entrepreneurs invited to attend this year’s congress, which signals the emergence of Chinese financial powers in the global world of football. 

The presidency election will also be ongoing during this year’s congress, where Blatter and Prince Ali will run for the President of FIFA. 

Wang Jianlin invested in the football field in as early as 1994, when he created a professional football club, Dalian Wanda FC. He purchased Infront this year, establishing a relationship with Blatter whose nephew is the CEO of Infront. 

Besides relationship with Infront, one of the world’s top sports marketing and sports media companies in the world, Wang also has 20 percent stakes in Atletico Madrid and some percent of stakes in Letv Sports in China. 

This invitation received much attention from Chinese media as well. Most regard it as an unprecedented treatment to Chinese football, and predict that Chinese capital would play a more and more important role in the world’s football stage. 

Source: NetEase, ifeng.