Dutchman fires a shot at Evergrande
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Tianjin Teda manager Arie Haan has fired a shot at emerging side Guangzhou Evergrande, claiming that without a solid soccer tradition, the Cantonese club was just like a castle built on sand.
Xu Jiayin, boss of the Guangzhou Evergrande Real Estate Group, has spent an estimated 500 million yuan ($76.3 million) in a bid for the Chinese Super League title. He has also vowed to win the AFC Champions League within five years.
However, Haan, whose team finished second in the domestic season last year, said clubs should focus on forming long-term traditions instead of splashing out money for instant success.
"There's always a team in the league which goes a little bit crazy," the 62-year-old Dutchman said. "They (Guangzhou) have spent a lot of money and I hope they will also do it after five years because that's the main question. For one year or two years the club plays well and after that nothing.
"Money is a very important part of soccer today. But when you go to Europe and look at the most famous clubs, if the club has a history of 30 years, even if it goes a little bit down for a couple of years, it doesn't matter. A club has its name and everybody knows that one day it will come back. It has no problem because of its tradition.
"You should take care to garner a tradition. That tradition should be to play well over many years, not only one or two years. It takes a very long time to win respect."
Guangzhou has introduced four Brazilian players into the competition - Renato, Muriqui, Paulao and Cleo, whose transfer fee of 3.2 million euros ($4.5 million) is a Chinese league record.
"They give them a lot of money, but what will happen if they don't have any more money?" asked Haan. "Soccer is not only about today, and not only about this year. You need stable management and good vision for a strong long-term future."
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