Real Madrid Are Too Greedy, Chinese Official Says

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Real Madrid Are Too Greedy, Chinese Official Says

Chinese national squad were forced to give up their plan to play a friendly with Real Madrid because the Spanish champions charged too much, local reports said on Tuesday.

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Chinese national squad were forcedto give up their plan to play a friendly with Real Madrid because the Spanish champions charged too much, local reports said on Tuesday.

The nine-time European champions will instead play a joint teammade up of 31 players from four Chinese first division clubs -- Beijing, Yunnan, Shenzhen and Shanghai Zhongyuan.

The match will be mainly sponsored by China's tobacco giant Hongta and top beverage producer Jianlibao, who are the title sponsors of Shenzhen and Yunnan respectively.

Beijing club will provide their home ground, the Worker's Stadium, for the high-profile commercial match.

Tickets prices range from 1500 yuan (bout 200 US dollars) to 150 yuan (20 US dollars).

It was reported earlier that the national squad will play the star-studded Real Madrid in Hong Kong on Aug. 14, but it was denied on Monday by a top official of Futebao Company, the promoter of the Chinese national team at all levels, the Guangzhou-based Nanfang Sports News said on Tuesday.

The official, on condition of anonymity, said that Real Madrid charged an appearance fee of up to two million euros. Besides theyalso demanded Futebao pay their travel and accommodation in China.

"We might manage to accept the appearance fee and pay their travel and accommodation, but that is not all. They had other unreasonable conditions that we can not accept," the official was quoted as saying.

The official revealed that Real Madrid asked for 40 per cent ofthe gate income for the match.

"We had to terminate the talks with Real Madrid," the official said.

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