FC Barcelona Chief Revenue Officer Francesco Calvo warned Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus about their pursuit of the Chinese market. Speaking at a sports and business forum, the former Juventus executive warned that Italian teams should lower their expectations for revenue from the most populous country in the world.

 

“There is talk of exploiting the Chinese market but the revenue from that market is lower than some Italian teams aspire to have,” said Calvo. “The Chinese market is very particular, only Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid are able to generate revenue because that market is already cornered.”

 

He expounded upon his concerns for Italian teams. “They need to get acquainted in the world because the domestic market is very important. They use football as a communication vehicle, but the number of teams that can enter China is very limited.”

 

How much of his concern is genuine, and how much of it is aimed at protecting his club’s market share is up for debate.