Arsenal replaces Manchester united as the most popular club in China

The number of Gunners in China is just increasing day-by-day.

North London side Arsenal have taken over Manchester United as the most popular club in China, revealed an online survey conducted by Coventry University’s Center for the International Business of Sport (CIBS) in England.

According to CNN, the survey drew a total  of 15,586 responses and was conducted between September and November last year.

Fans are more likely to support a club team when players from their favourite national squad regularly make the starting line-up,” said CIBS official Jiajia Song.

“This means players like Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podalski, both German international players and players for Arsenal, are likely to fulfill an important commercial and marketing role for club, country and league.”

rsenal first played in China in 1995 but did not tour again until 2011, reportedly because manager Arsene Wenger preferred to focus on preseason training in Europe rather than embarking on potentially lucrative international tours.

Arsenal have visited China twice, once in 1995 and then back in 2011 for their pre-season. AC Milan are third on the list, followed by Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

“There’s no doubt that clubs generate revenue from China, South Korea and Japan,” CIBS director Professor Simon Chadwick explained.

“Whether they make a profit is a different matter. Typically, less than 10% of turnover from a Premier League club comes from overseas sales. Compare European football to NBA in China, for example.”

“The NBA has physical and marketing infrastructure set up on the ground to capitalize on opportunities to serve fans and customers.”

Germany was the most popular side when it came to the national category and was ahead of Italy and Spain.

The English Premier League on the other hand, received 50% of the votes leaving out Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A far behind.