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Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku wears a special edition shirt featuring his name written in Chinese to celebrate the Lunar New Year in the club’s game against Lazio. Photo: Reuters
SportFootball

Concerns for Inter Milan as Suning to ‘focus on retail’

  • Italian league leaders looking for investment in club ahead of group’s decision to ‘close down’ non-retail businesses
  • Company owns Chinese Super League champions, while its PPTV arm is in rights disputes with English Premier League and Serie A
Italian Serie A
Jonathan White
Jonathan White
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Chinese giant Suning Group’s decision to concentrate on its retail business has raised questions over its widespread involvement in football.

The company owns Inter Milan and Chinese Super League champions Jiangsu FC, while they have been China broadcast rights holders for the English Premier League, Italian Serie A and the CSL.

Owner Zhang Jindong told Suning staff of the decision to shift their focus, as reported by China’s Titan Sports online on Friday.

“We should focus our main battlefield, initiate subtraction, redraw the battle line,” Titan Sports quoted Zhang as saying. “We will focus on retail business resolutely, close and cut down our business irrelevant to retail business without hesitation.”

Suning have owned Italian Serie A side Inter Milan since 2016 as well as expanding into Chinese broadcast rights for several European leagues, including the English Premier League and Italy’s Serie A, through its PPTV and PPLive television arm.

The company lost rights to English football last year after a dispute over an unpaid payment, with a similar dispute with Serie A following this month. The situation of the CSL rights for the coming season is unconfirmed.

China broadcaster sues English Premier League for US$116m

PPLive is countersuing the English Premier League in the UK courts for US$116 million.

Inter Milan fans have raised concerns over what this means for the club, for whom Suning have already been seeking outside investment before Zhang’s message to Suning’s 100,000 workers on their return from the Lunar New Year holiday.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Friday that the club had rejected a loan that would help them meet upcoming payment deadlines as it would have to be secured against their shares and they would risk losing control of the club if they could not repay the loan.

Struggling Suning to sell Inter Milan, Chinese side unpaid: reports

US-based Bain Capital have been reported by Italian media to have joined Britain’s BC Partners as potential investors.

Elsewhere on the Gazzetta dello Sport website on Friday, they reported a source suggesting that Inter Milan might be unaffected by any cutbacks at Suning as it is vital as a bridge for their retail business between East and West.

The CSL side had been reportedly looking for a new owner, with both Inter Milan and Jiangsu, who were known as Jiangsu Suning until new naming rules, owing players wages last season.

Inter owners Suning lose China Serie A broadcast rights: report

Inter Milan are top of Serie A and could go four points clear in the title race if they beat city rivals AC Milan on Sunday.

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