Bakambu deal puts China transfer tax to the test
Print Edition
Cedric Bakambu鈥檚 protracted 40-million euro (US$49.70 million) move from Villarreal to Beijing Guo鈥檃n is a litmus test of Chinese football鈥檚 100 percent transfer tax and could have ramifications from Spain to England and beyond.
Two weeks after the French-born Congolese striker declared that he was leaving La Liga for the riches of the Chinese Super League, Guo鈥檃n has yet to officially announce his signature and the deal is mired in uncertainty and confusion.
Experts and Chinese media say the club is likely in talks with the Chinese Football Association about pushing the transfer through without having to pay the CFA鈥檚 punishing levy.
In May last year the CFA, worried about an influx of well-paid foreigners, said it would slap a 100 percent tax on incoming transfers worth over 45 million yuan (US$7 million).
The surcharge would supposedly go into a fund for improving grassroots football in China.
The unprecedented move had its desired effect and last summer鈥檚 transfer window fizzled out in China, the only major arrival to the CSL being the striker Anthony Modeste on a two-year loan deal to Tianjin Quanjian from FC Cologne.
The arrangement allowed Tianjin to avoid shelling out twice the amount 鈥 and now Guo鈥檃n appears to be trying to do likewise, albeit by another method.
Ji Zhe, director at London-based sports marketing firm Red Lantern and an expert in Chinese football, said the CFA was in a precarious position.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no telling what might be happening now: there could be haggling with the CFA, they might strike a deal and sweep it under the carpet,鈥 said Ji. 鈥淚f so, the CFA risks other clubs also flouting the rules and could lose control.鈥
Underlining its commitment to the 100 percent tax rule, after the winter transfer window opened in China on January 1, the CFA warned it would not stand for any 鈥渓oophole-exploiting behavior鈥.
It also warned Chinese clubs to avoid engaging in 鈥渁 bidding war鈥, amid numerous reports that CSL champion Guangzhou Evergrande had trumped Guo鈥檃n to the 72-million euro acquisition of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Evergrande quickly denied it was in for the Borussia Dortmund striker, who now appears set for English Premier League side Arsenal instead.
But Guo鈥檃n seems determined to snare a foreign forward. Reports in Spain and France soon emerged saying that 40 million euros had been paid 鈥 it is unclear by whom 鈥 to free Bakambu from his Villarreal contract, allowing him to move to the Chinese capital on a free transfer.
Since then the CFA, the player and Guo鈥檃n have kept largely quiet, although the club 鈥毭劽 coached by the German Roger Schmidt 鈥毭劽 previously said that Bakambu left Villarreal 鈥渇or personal reasons鈥 and has pleaded ignorance about any deal.
Compounding the confusion, Guo鈥檃n then released photos last week of Bakambu training with the team in Portugal, but declined to say more.
On Friday BBC Sport quoted a figure close to Bakambu as saying that Guo鈥檃n provided the funds to buy himself out of his contract at Villarreal.
Bruno Leveel, who works with Bakambu on image-related contracts, said he expected the deal to go through by the end of last weekend 鈥 but it never did.
Then on Monday, adding to the sense of farce, Bakambu played for and scored for Guo鈥檃n in a friendly against the Swedish side Norrkoping.
Whatever happens, Ji says the saga is a lesson for all Chinese clubs. 鈥淐hinese clubs have not yet learnt how the media 鈥 not just in China, but globally 鈥 could help or affect them in these deals.
鈥淐ertainly it appears there was no PR or contingency plan at all.
鈥淭he fact that Guo鈥檃n allowed pictures of him training with the team and holding the shirt to be made public before any announcement is either due to total incompetence or they were trying to test the waters with the CFA.鈥
Mark Dreyer, an expert in the workings of Chinese sports business, said the Bakambu case was 鈥渢he first time the (CFA) tax has really been put to the test鈥.
Dreyer, writing on his China Sports Insider website, added: 鈥淏ut rest assured that if this (Guo鈥檃n鈥檚) strategy doesn鈥檛 work, CSL clubs will keep trying to find workable loopholes.鈥
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