AC Milan’s new academy in Hong Kong was officially opened on Sunday, with a ceremony held at Kai Tak Mall. Franco Baresi, a former captain and a three-time European Cup winner, was among the representatives from the Rossoneri present in the city. “We are very proud to announce the launch of our new academy in Hong Kong and to share our values with the local community,” Baresi said. “We firmly believe in football’s power as a tool for education, growth, and inclusion. “Through this academy, we aim to provide young athletes in Hong Kong with the opportunity to train according to the principles and methodology of our Milan Method.
We are confident that this academy will become a key reference point for youth football in the region and will further strengthen the bond between our club and our fans in Hong Kong.
The Italian side will send a coach to the city to run the academy and mentor local coaches in the city.
Milan also said in a statement their aim was to “establish a new benchmark in methodology, sporting values, and community engagement, offering a comprehensive development path for young footballers aged three to 18 – both on and off the pitch.
The statement added: “To ensure a premium and rewarding experience, young athletes will train at Lamtin and Kai Tak Outdoor Football Pitches, two state-of-the-art facilities that provide a safe and stimulating environment for all participants.
Italy, Milan icon Franco Baresi urges Chinese Super League to create football ‘culture’
World Cup winner Franco Baresi has urged China to create a football “culture” if they want to improve their standing on the world stage. China are encountering a difficult period in the sport, with the men’s side bottom of their group in Asia’s third round of World Cup qualifying, while the women’s team failed to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games. In the late 2010s, the Chinese Super League underwent a huge spending spree, as players such as Oscar, Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano and Alexandre Pato, as well as many others, moved in on huge contracts.
However, because of the financial impact of the Covid-19 crisis, the outlays were reeled in and clubs in China have fallen way behind their Asian counterparts.
China have not had an AFC Champions League winner since Guangzhou Evergrande in 2015, and the same club’s semi-final appearance in 2019 was the last time a Chinese side reached the last four of the competition.
Baresi has suggested the money could have been better spent on infrastructure to create a local footballing culture, rather than attempt to import it from abroad.
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly why,” Baresi told the Post when asked why China lag so far behind other footballing nations. “It could be that the potential is there.
It is obviously difficult to take football from Europe, our culture. [In the Chinese Super League], they spent a lot of money but maybe they should have focused more on the grass roots. “Start from there, create a culture, a mentality, training methods. You need time and people who are completely dedicated to those objectives.” Since the pandemic, fewer major football clubs have ventured to China for their pre-season tours with Atletico Madrid’s visit to Hong Kong this summer the first time a major club side have visited the city since Manchester City in 2019.
Many European clubs spend their pre-season in the United States but Baresi urged clubs to pay more attention to their Asian fan base, who put a lot of effort into following top European sides. “It is important to go to China and other Asian countries, where we are very popular and have so many fans,” Baresi said. “Fans get up in the middle of the night to watch our matches, which shows how passionate the fan base is there, even if we have not been able to visit as much of late.
aresi will be in Shanghai to promote the launch of a special jersey to celebrate Milan’s 125-year anniversary and will talk to local students at the China Europe International Business School University on Tuesday before holding a meet and greet with supporters at the city’s Puma store the following day.
And the former defender certainly knows what it means to enjoy success on the international stage: he was part of the Italy side which won the World Cup in 1982, finished third in their home tournament in 1990 and was a runner-up in the US four years later. But the situation is not so rosy for the Italians nowadays. Despite European Championship success in 2021, they have failed to qualify for back-to-back World Cups and were eliminated by Switzerland in the round of 16 at Euro 2024. Roberto Mancini left Italy to take over as boss of Saudi Arabia during qualifying for the Euros and, while his replacement Luciano Spalletti struggled initially, there has been a slight upturn in fortunes since the Euros.
