Chapter 25 Xu Hongtao: Manufacturing Casino Chengdu

In this tragic moment on October 24, the forces of betrayal were overwhelming.Xu Hongtao crossed the adult grass, hissed loudly, and signaled the players not to throw the ball into the stands in vain.A kind of haggardness was written all over his face. Afterwards, he revealed that no one came to comfort him, which made him really sad. 2006 was the first year of Xu Hongtao's Chengdu. It only took Xu Hongtao a short time to realize that Chengdu is an entertainment city. In the first game of the Chinese League One in 2006, the fledgling chairman of Chengdu Sheffield United frowned when he saw thousands of people scattered in the stands.He couldn't accept it no matter what. When this stadium held the A-A golden ten-year commercial competition a month ago, it was actually full of nearly 40,000 people.During the game, Wei Qun grabbed the football, wrapped it in his jersey, and ran across the halftime like a pregnant woman. The audience didn't think it was disobedient, but burst into loud laughter.

So Xu Hongtao made his first promise: if the seats are full, he will run naked in public. This promise is even better than "must go to the Super League". It is both Chengdu and the United Kingdom, and it is completely in line with Sheffield United's character.Streaking was once one of the secret recipes for attracting spectators at halftime in English cricket. The London Morning Post advertised that each player pooled 21 shillings for a linen shirt as a reward for "the most pleasing lady to run around in a pair of underpants". At least, this reminds me of the 1997 film "Six Heroes of Light Pig". Six laid-off male workers in a steel factory decided to go to a bar to dance strip dances for a living.Please note that the background of the story is in Sheffield.

Sheffield United is the first club in the world, and Chengdu Sheffield United is the first "foreign-funded club" in China. They are destined to be a little lonely.If it is lonely like AC Milan's 58-game undefeated master, Chengdu Sheffield United urgently needs to prove itself.In less than a month, Xu Hongtao, the Chengdu Football Association and the Municipal Sports Bureau "dissuaded" the shareholders of the former Wuniu team. The rapid progress made him firmly believe in doing something in this megacity of 10 million people. . In 2006, Chengdu did not make it to the Super League, nor did they see a huge investment from the England club. It is said that it is not very useful in the UK, but there is no sign of foreign players who can fight in the Chinese Premier League.The background of Sheffield United's British capital has therefore been questioned.Kevin McBee's Scarborough Real Estate claims to be the fourth largest real estate developer in the UK, but it actually ranks behind the 300th in the UK Fortune List. Funding for the team for 4 years. In the winter transfer market of 2006, England's Sheffield United threw out 5 million pounds to buy several new players.Xu Hongtao explained: "Listed companies should be responsible to shareholders, we can't burn money."

This is the first time he mentioned the background of his club. Three years later, when the media revealed that Sheffield United bought Hailifeng away games at a price of 150,000 in cash, 150,000 in remittances and winter training at a price of 300,000, someone mentioned it again, Due to the "listed company"'s strict finances, Xu Hongtao used 150,000 personal savings. Since the British side does not burn money, only he himself knows how Xu Hongtao got here this year.He said at the time: "I don't go to bed earlier than two o'clock in the morning every day. I have to get up at eight or nine the next day. The most painful thing is that the international long-distance call from the UK came again after I fell asleep-it was working hours there. It’s bed time here.” This hotline must be open 24 hours a day, and sometimes he even wanted to transfer to the secretary’s desk, but then he decided to forget it.

His wife and children didn't even know what the pillar of the family was doing in Chengdu.Maybe they would think that he was doing it for the beauties in Chengdu, or that he was having a good time in flashy bars.More people have misunderstood Xu Hongtao's identity and strength. Some businessmen in Chengdu, who are eager to receive British investment, are also trying to "combine" with Boss Xu, who has the background of the old Sheffield United, during the financial crisis. But Xu Hongtao has no background, only his back.His back view shows the complexity of his identity. There are too many roles blending in him. He has three secrets of success, which make him a guest of the upper class in Chengdu:

1. Famous brokers.He has a magic power and is considered the manager of the Big Six internationals.When people understand that he is actually consolidating resources and using his cousin's England sports agent certificate, we have to reorganize the relationship between these people and him: Wu Chengying has almost no relationship with him, and has never successfully studied abroad; Zhang Enhua is Horton and Xie Qiang got it to the UK; Hao Haidong was indeed contacted by him, the famous "one pound transfer", but because of business disputes, he didn't go in time, and he didn't play in the British Championship; Tie was actually acquired by Marcos, an employee of Bafang Global Company; Sun Jihai’s agent was Liu Yi; Shao Jiayi’s trip to Birmingham was stranded due to a labor certificate, but thanks to Cottbus’s change of coach, he ushered in a “second spring” ".

2. Help others to arrange for their children to go abroad.Xu Hongtao used to be a member of the CPPCC in Xi'an, and this title is very interesting. He became a member of the CPPCC by applying for a person's child to study in the UK.That person was a well-known figure in Xi'an City. After Xu Hongtao helped him a lot, he immediately agreed to make him a member of the Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference of that term.This status has brought many benefits to Xu Hongtao, not only in Xi'an, but even when he was panning for gold in Chengdu, the status of this former member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference helped him gain a lot of trust.It is said that before Xu Hongtao was arrested, he had successfully applied for more than 30 children to go to the UK for dignitaries from all walks of life, and one of them was in the process of helping local Football Association officials.And we don't know for sure if this is the only one, it's a huge and unfathomable network of relationships.

3. Enclosure movement.Status alone is not enough, one must also have money, but Xu Hongtao has never had as much money as people imagined, and is just an "empty-handed white wolf".The specific method is as follows: bring a sum of money from the UK, expand it by N times and tell the relevant departments, win the trust of these departments under the premise of promising to build a strong club, and then finance a piece of land, and then sell this land Cash out part of the money, and then use the money to cooperate with some other departments, and then arrange money... About how Xu Hongtao arranges money, it can be explained by the economic circles.But what we want to explain is why Xu Hongtao played match-fixing.Fortunately for him, Chengdu happens to be a city where real estate prices are rising year by year. Coupled with the appreciation of the renminbi, he earned more than 10 million yuan last year just by relying on the difference in foreign exchange rates.His misfortune is that due to the overlong investment front, the club lacks enough cash to maintain a high level.He promised to enter the Chinese Super League, and promised to enter the top 10 (this is the premise of the 20 million yuan sponsorship provided by the government). When the team is not strong enough, how to protect the trust of the local government that has been earned through hard work? The transaction in 2007 was to continue this trust and guarantee refinancing.

This formula makes it easy for people to understand that Xu Hongtao cheated, not only to complete the mission of Chengdu football, but also to use the ranking as a prop. However, he still appears in the high society of Chengdu as a fashionista. The government, which urgently needs to improve the image of the city, attaches great importance to this rich man from the United Kingdom. , is also an important part of the government's urban development plan, and the government didn't ask Xu Hongtao to pay any money. Of course, Chengdu only provides him with 20 million yuan in sponsorship funds a year, and there is still a gap for a club with an annual demand of about 35 million yuan. Therefore, Xu Hongtao's entrepreneurial venture is embarrassing and touching.

For example, he asked all the employees in the office to copy down the phone numbers of all street signs and advertisements they could see on the way to and from get off work. Guaranteed value for money among team sponsors.This is a low-probability job similar to ants gnawing bones. Employees often can't wait for an advertisement for three months.Even Xu Hongtao himself once saw a suitable real estate in the opening advertisement when he was watching a movie, and quickly copied the number, and contacted the other party in person the next day; he also contacted another "empty glove white wolf" in Chengdu for professional planning Between people, the thrilling story of the white-eyed wolf and the white-eyed wolf was staged.

It's really touching. Some local people who know the inside story said that this is simply a "dog shit rich man", that is to say, these people are like those landlords who collected dog shit and accumulated manure and sold them to make a small fortune before liberation. , from the current point of view, he is more like using a method of primitive accumulation in the entrepreneurial stage of the post-80s generation.To maintain a gap of more than 10 million yuan for a professional club in this way is of course a drop in the bucket.So "teams all over the world play match-fixing, but Sheffield United does not play match-fixing" has become a harsh talk, and the rumored match-fixing of Sheffield United in Chengdu has become conceivable. Here we only let everyone understand Xu Hongtao’s survival formula. More thrilling stories about this person in Chengdu will be explained in detail in later chapters, including how he avoided the police’s pursuit, how he mistakenly thought he was fine and was arrested, and how he and Chengdu The story of Shuangliu Base...but before he was caught, he was not only a good guy, but also a savior. In August 2006, news came out that the professional league will be divided into divisions, which is equivalent to saying that the professionalization of football will be cancelled.Chengdu Sheffield United Club secretly and formally asked the Football Association.This year they ended up fourth, which has nothing to do with the Super League places.This detail can show that Xu Hongtao is ready to enter the Super League.Compared with the low-key when he first entered, Xu Hongtao has already discovered that if he does not enter the top league, not only will he not enjoy other additional benefits brought by the top team, but he will not be able to continue to develop at all. Xu Hongtao became a little anxious because of this.One of his employees said: "He has a lot of things to do, and he may not be able to repeat it after he finishes speaking." At this time, he likes to interrupt others, and he is in a hurry and fidgets.In order to show that he has a wide range of connections, Xu Hongtao said: "From the Premier League to the English C, I have contacts with more than 90 British clubs. In terms of business, I have the confidence to manage the club well." In order to accumulate popularity, Xu Hongtao used many tricks. In the 2006 season, the head coach and players of Sheffield United had to pick out one person in each round, send letters to the fan member clubs one by one, analyze the gains and losses of past games, and then invite them to watch the game. Xu Hongtao bought a bar called M98 in Zijing and changed its name to "Fengchaohuang". In the last round of the Premier League broadcast in 2006, many fans saw this advertisement on the sidelines of the Bramall Lane Stadium.Sheffield United beat Arsenal 1-0, making Chengdu people very clear about the name of this bar.But the bar still did not go on, and soon closed. How much money a club needs, each has its own algorithm.For Xu Hongtao, the pressure in this area is great. In the 2007 season, Chengdu Sheffield United only scored 5 points in 3 games in the middle of the season. The pursuit of Jiangsu Sainty was approaching, and the whole team was frightened.After CCTV revealed that they had purchased the away game against Qingdao Hailifeng, someone checked the results of Chengdu Sheffield United this season. They found 16 wins, 7 draws and 1 loss in 24 games, surpassing third place Jiangsu Sainty by 7 points .An ordinary person would think, is it necessary to buy this ball?An old coach in the circle said, of course it is necessary.If you don't buy it, you may go wrong. In order to save 500,000 yuan and miss the Super League, Chengdu Sheffield United will sink forever.It is reported that it was under such a mentality that Xu Hongtao asked You Ke to make a deal. The Chinese firmly believe that "the name must be rectified", but Xu Hongtao has been practicing it himself, which seems to be absolute pragmatism.There were rumors at one time that according to FIFA rules, agents cannot work for football clubs.It was only later that people found out that this provision had no effect on him at all. Xu Hongtao used his cousin's sports agent license to do his brokerage business in China, and "integrated resources" to achieve his goal, which was similar to the deal in Qingdao. If he knew this, he wondered how Jin Zhiyang, who was moved by Xu Hongtao's exploration at the beginning, would feel.After losing to the opponent, he is still very happy: "I hope Sheffield United will succeed, because this is a new style of football." On October 13, 2007, this new model was successful.Adults witnessed the super competition, and more than 36,000 people sat down.Someone mentioned streaking to Xu Hongtao, he smiled lightly and just patted the suit on his body.In front of him, the largest slogan in the body fluttered in the wind, "Old Xu, the Shaanxi Township Party congratulates you on your successful championship" across two stands. Happiness is always short-lived.The following story is more familiar to people. In the early days of the Chinese Super League in 2008, Sheffield United won three consecutive victories.Xu Hongtao said: "If this continues, we will play in the AFC Champions League." However, the team's performance plummeted, and it was not until the end of the season that they barely avoided relegation.The team's decline continued until the 9th round of the next year, which eventually led to Li Bing's breakup with the club.At this time, Xu Hongtao was overjoyed when the team won, but restless when the team was sluggish. In the past, Xu Hongtao was a calm person. Someone once took his car on the way back to England from Scotland. The pastures along the way, the clear air, the high visibility, and he could hum one or two local pastoral songs.In his early years, he was even very romantic. In the alley in front of the Xi’an compound, he was walking with another partner (now another famous agent) when he looked up and saw a beautiful girl. After a little tidying up, it is: she is so beautiful that she can’t even remember what she looks like. I just feel that there is a white flower in front of my eyes, and the air is frozen and suffocating. At some point, he became frightened, fidgeting as if he was holding a piece of burning coal. It was difficult for him to sit on a chair for more than 5 minutes. I saw him at a party one day in September, and he suddenly appeared. When the organizer introduced the director of the TV station, the vice president of the newspaper, and the police... when I looked back, he had disappeared. More than 30 seconds, and he didn't say hello, which is very different from him who is very measured in dealing with people. At this time, You Ke was not under control at all. Perhaps, he had a premonition, and it just so happened that at the moment of leaving the bar without saying goodbye, on the same day two years ago, it was the time when he and Hai Lifeng made the trade ball. One year after surpassing, some players said that they still haven't received the club's super bonus.Before the agreement ball with Hai Lifeng was exposed, it had already been heard among the players.The club once publicly stated that there was no need to give players full bonuses, because some balls were "made" by the club, not the players.Xu Hongtao was very concerned about the club's face.First, as a British-funded club, they will not owe wages; second, they will not engage in match-fixing; third, if something really happens that shames the club, it must cover what can be covered. In 2006, Scarborough China registered Xie Feilian Real Estate (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. in Chengdu, with Xu Hongtao as the legal representative.At the end of that year, they spent 150 million yuan to buy a piece of commercial land of more than 30 mu in the Hongpailou area of ​​Chengdu. Xie Feilian's big hand made people look forward to it. The previous price of this land was at least 20 million lower than this price. .A piece of news spread like wildfire. Scarborough had announced that he would invest more than 3 billion yuan in projects in Chengdu's real estate industry.In the next few years, the numbers on the books were in the millions. Two years later, Xu Hongtao retired from the position of chairman of the real estate company and only served as a director. The breakthrough in 2007 was originally considered to be the straw to save the Sheffield United club.But what makes Xu Hongtao feel unhappy is that the club's income has increased, but the operating pressure is even greater.In Sichuan dialect: "A big snake also has a big hole." Xie Fei United, who played in the Chinese Super League, was unable to make ends meet, and there was news that the possibility of selling his shares could not be ruled out. Under this weathervane, everything becomes cautious. In the middle of the 2009 season, Chengdu foreign aid Rodriguez was arrested in Shenzhen for pornography. During the five days of his detention, the club has been worried.At the beginning of the second half of the season, Sheffield United decided to announce a social supervision mailbox, but they never faced the matter directly. In the second half of the season before the accident, Sheffield United performed well, but at this time they were about to move again.Xu Hongtao repaired the football park in Shuangliu. Some people suggested not to move it when the team's luck is good.He listened for a while, and decided to move after defeating the weakest opponent Chongqing Shixian Taibai team at home.As a result, that game became the Waterloo of this season's fortunes. On October 5th, it was the National Day holiday, and 20,000 spectators actually came (the maximum number of people in the game during the National Day holiday is usually no more than 3,000), and they lost 2 to 3 to Chongqing. After the game, a conflict broke out between the fans of the two sides. Chengdu It took hundreds of police forces to control the scene. 19 days later, they "fight to the end" at home and lost to a relegation opponent: the Shenzhen team in a way that fit the rumors. The score of 0 to 3 was miserable, the fans were furious, and even the relevant departments of the local government were alarmed.Two days after the game, former Shenzhen team players Lei Yongchi and Hui Jiakang rushed to Chengdu to "join", this time there was no suitable person to explain to the fans. In this tragic moment on October 24, the forces of betrayal were overwhelming.Xu Hongtao crossed the adult grass, hissed loudly, and signaled the players not to throw the ball into the stands in vain.A kind of haggardness was written all over his face. Afterwards, he revealed that no one came to comfort him, which made him really sad.His expression that day was worse than when he appeared on CCTV on December 11. This inconclusive game has finally cast a shadow on Sheffield United's status in Chengdu.It is said that the relevant local departments were furious.The two major sponsors of this season, Chengdu Construction Engineering and Bank of Chengdu, are major shareholders found under local guidance. Chengdu cannot accept such a game that tarnishes the image of the city anyway.From a financial point of view, the financial crisis that began in 2008 had a relatively large impact on Sheffield United, but after the earthquake in 2008, Chengdu has been trying to improve the image of the city through various means.This includes holding various competitions. In order to achieve this goal, Chengdu, which has a graceful temperament, almost held the WBC competition, and was full of confidence to turn its cultural city and Go city into a "boxing city".Against such a background, these two failed home games made Xu Hongtao feel like a thorn in his back. The football circle has its metaphysics.Chengdu Xiefei United was first stationed in Wenjiang base, and then moved to Maojiawan.The owner here, Chen Xiande, is said to be very good at Feng Shui.It was rumored that he and Zhu Guanghu were good friends.When Zhu Guanghu led the Shenzhen team, he was invincible once, and he came to play Sichuan again in an away game. When he was in a state of desperation, Chen Xiande suggested that the opponent wrap a red thread he provided around his finger to keep the goal safe.It really did work out. But after Xu Hongtao's accident, everyone felt that the "Sheffield United Court" he set up in Maojiawan was a bit self-defeating. In the second half of the 2009 season, Chengdu Sheffield United began to "provoke the masses to fight against the masses" and ordered them to hold internal whistle-blowing meetings to allow everyone to correct each other for small fouls in training and life, and offenders were fined. The "court" was well-prepared, and the British-style judge's headgear and cape were brought in the second time.Now the players think it's a bit weird, "It's a trial every day, and it turned out to be real." In the CCTV "Focus Interview" that aired Xu Hongtao and Liu Hongwei, Chengdu Sheffield United's latest base and the gate of Sheffield United Football Park became the background board of host Hou Feng.Hou Feng's position blocked a landmark building at the gate.There was originally a football sculpture, surrounded by fountains, spraying water on the football.On the opening day, the park was full of guests, and Chengdu people love to joke. There were two jokes about this sculpture at the time: first, the football with good water; second, it was washed white.It was originally a joke, but in the end, unfortunately, it became a prophecy. ("Shui" means "inferior" in Sichuan dialect; "washed white" is similar to the meaning of "finished".) For four years, Xu Hongtao's Chengdu Sheffield United Club has been located on the first floor of the Sino-Japanese Hall. Looking down, it is a circular building, much like a Fujian Tulou. In 2005, the Wuniu team was handed over to the Municipal Football Association for hosting. At the end of 2009, Sheffield United was handed over to them to continue hosting.At this time, there are still voices that the British capital will not evacuate, but Sheffield United is like this circle, no matter whether it starts or ends, it does not refer to one place.