How this man kicked off China’s love affair with Brazilian football

Chinese and Brazilian football go back a long way. All the way to 1997, when famed Brazilian coach Edson Tavares moved to the country to coach Guangzhou Matsunichi. Tavares, who played a major role in modernising football in China, went on to coach Shenzhen Ping An, Guangzhou Apollo, Chongqing Lifan and Shenzhen Ruby.

In 2000, the Chinese Football Association asked him to draft a plan to make the sport more professional.

Tavares responded with a 78-page dossier detailing proposals such as mandating clubs to build at least three training facilities. At the time, he recalls, many Chinese clubs didn’t even have showers. “The Chinese now have the best football infrastructure in the world,” Tavares says with unmistakable pride.

He also suggested certification for coaches and referees, and tax exemptions of up to 75 per cent for investments in football. The latter idea made a great difference, though the government capped exemptions at 40 per cent.

“Thanks to that, teams can save millions of dollars with which they are able to hire top players,” he says.