La Liga President Javier Tebas speaks in an event in Beijing on January 16, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of La Liga

Youth training programs, coaching development and international partnerships are vital for developing Chinese football, Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish top-tier football league La Liga, told the Global Times on Thursday.  

"Youth training programs are an essential element in the development of football in China," Tebas told the Global Times through an interpreter in Beijing on Thursday. 

"In China, it is crucial to ensure - and this is a general recommendation for Chinese football - that there are more talent development programs."

He emphasized the need for structured talent development initiatives, saying, "Without such programs, it is very difficult to make progress. Chinese football needs to become much more competitive, and this is a gap that needs to be addressed."

Tebas highlighted the importance of integrating competitive matches for young players into these training programs. "These matches should not only focus on top-tier competitions but also involve players under 15, under 14, or under 13 years old," he told the Global Times, adding these matches would involve La Liga clubs playing in China, which "will happen in due course." 

"This will help ensure that the development of players and teams progresses appropriately, making them competitive both as teams and as individual players."

An annual youth football tournament, La Liga Hope Cup, has been held consecutively in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, featuring Chinese youth teams taking on their La Liga club counterparts.

Song Kai, chief of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), previously voiced that introducing more foreign youth training coaches into China could strengthen the quality of domestic youth training. 

Acknowledging the quality of coaching in China, Tebas noted that while coaching is a factor, it is not the sole reason behind the slower development of Chinese football. 

"While coaching quality might be one of the factors impeding the development of Chinese football, I don't believe it is the only cause," Tebas said. He emphasized La Liga's ongoing efforts to train Chinese coaches but acknowledged that the scale of such initiatives needs to expand significantly. 

"La Liga is willing to participate as much as possible in coach training programs. Our maximum possible involvement is essential for the development of professional football in China."

Not long ago, La Liga clubs often came to China to play friendlies during the season break. These matches saw massive fan turnouts when clubs like Real Madrid or FC Barcelona played. 

But due to the COVID-19 pandemic and organizational restructuring of the league, the La Liga clubs' presence in China has been in a hiatus.

"In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and organizational restructuring of the league prevented us from holding these matches," he said. 

However, he confirmed plans to bring top-tier La Liga teams to play preseason matches in major Chinese cities, pending necessary approvals from relevant authorities.

"We aim to bring top-tier teams from La Liga to play official preseason matches in China. To achieve this, we hope to obtain the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities this coming summer," he said.

"If we can secure these approvals, we will definitely bring top-tier teams from La Liga to play official preseason matches in major Chinese cities."

Beyond youth training and competitions, Tebas highlighted La Liga's willingness to collaborate on broader football exchanges, including player development and football technology. He proposed organizing tournaments for younger age groups, such as U12 to U16 players, to nurture competitiveness and support their development.

"These plans depend on the cooperation of counterparts, whether it be the CFA, the Chinese Super League or local governments," Tebas said. 

He expressed confidence that La Liga's expertise in football industry development can play a significant role in helping China achieve its long-term football goals, before stressing La Liga views collaboration with China as mutually beneficial.