UK prime minister gifts official match balls from the Manchester United·Arsenal game
SCMP “An intention to improve the complicated China·UK relationship”
Earlier cases include ceremonial kick-offs and a gift of a Messi jersey that drew attention
Chinese President Xi Jinping receives an Argentina national soccer team jersey bearing the number 10 of Lionel Messi and the name of Xi Jinping during a visit to Ireland in July 2014. Captured from the Chinese state-run English-language newspaper China Daily.
As it became known that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer presented Chinese President Xi Jinping with soccer balls used in the Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal, diplomatic protocol that makes use of Xi’s ‘love of soccer’ is drawing attention.
According to the BBC, on the 29th, during a summit with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Starmer presented soccer balls used in the match between Manchester United and Arsenal held on the 25th. In that game, Manchester United claimed a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Arsenal. Starmer is an Arsenal fan, and Xi is known to be a Manchester United fan.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) interpreted it as follows: “The act by Prime Minister Keir Starmer of gifting the official match balls of the two most famous teams in England is intended to improve the complicated China·UK relationship.”
When Xi paid a state visit to the UK in 2015, then Prime Minister David Cameron hosted him at Manchester City (Man City)’s home ground, the Etihad Stadium. A selfie taken at the time by Xi, Cameron, and Man City striker Sergio Aguero remains a photo symbolizing the ‘golden era’ of China·UK relations.
Sports channel ESPN also pointed out that although Xi is an ardent Manchester United fan, he was given a VIP tour at the home stadium of regional rival Manchester City.
In addition, it is said that Xi built rapport by paying a courtesy call on the UK’s Prince William and talking about football. Xi said he wanted to learn a lot from English football, and Prince William wished for the development of Chinese football and said he wanted to see more Chinese players in the Premier League.
During a 2012 visit to Ireland while serving as state vice president, Xi Jinping, at a Gaelic football ground in Dublin, is seen preparing to take a ceremonial kick at the request of a local coach. Captured from China Daily.
When he visited Ireland in 2012 as state vice president, Xi directly showed off his soccer skills. At Croke Park in Dublin, a Gaelic football stadium, responding to a local coach’s request to “show your skills,” he kicked a ball while dressed in a suit and dress shoes, sending it flying in a long arc and making headlines. This stadium is also a place where, during Ireland’s independence struggle, British troops massacred soccer players and fans.
During a visit to Argentina in July 2014, Xi received an Argentina national team jersey bearing Lionel Messi’s number 10 and the name of Xi Jinping. Argentina had finished runners-up at the South Africa World Cup at the time.
The development of Chinese football and qualification for the World Cup has long been known as Xi’s aspiration. After the Chinese national team showed poor form in the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, a high-intensity investigation into football corruption was launched. Chen Xuyuan, former president of the Chinese Football Association, who was found to have taken about 810.3 billion yuan (about 15 billion won) in bribes, was sentenced to life imprisonment at first instance in 2024.
China recently lost 0-4 to Japan in the final of the U-23 Asian Cup but finished as runners-up, marking its best-ever result at an international tournament.
한글기사 원본(Original Korean Story)
