Is there any substance to China’s football revolution?

China has big plans: A domestic league to rival the Premier League by 2020 and a World Cup by 2030 are the medium and long term aims of a country whose love-affair for football is being spearheaded by President Xi Jinping. His love of football is bankrolling the biggest explosion the game has ever seen in China.Children football in Shanghai
The Chinese Super League (CSL) has grabbed the attention of the football world by pulling off some astonishing signings. Brazil midfielder Oscar is perhaps the biggest of them all; the 25-year-old turned his back on English champions Chelsea to pursue an eye-watering salary in China.
Big business
Big business plays a huge role in the money flowing into the league. Port management company SIPG own Shanghai SIPG, Oscar's club, and investment firm Sinobo are financing Beijing Guoan, a club now coached by former Leverkusen head coach Roger Schmidt. The German coach is enjoying a honeymoon period that has seen his new team win four games from four so far, and he sees potential in a league that he feels can go from strength to strength.
"My impressions are that the Chinese players really want to improve. They have a very good mentality and I see that every day in training," Schmidt told DW. "I think Chinese football is moving in the right direction but it's not so easy for them to develop very fast because European football has a long tradition. So it's something that needs time. The Chinese people have shown they are able to make something special in business and marketing, and I think they are also able to do that in football."
China Fußball Liga (Weekend Studio)
The problem for the league and its long term development is the rule restricting each team to three foreign players. The rule was introduced as a way to protect Chinese talent and avoid the mistakes made in England, where the national team has faltered at the expense of the thriving Premier League. The consequence is though, these three players are significantly better than the rest of the team.
Mads Davidsen, the technical director of Shanghai SIPG, has a different take on things. He has helped the club promote its young players and analyzes match data for the club. He believes the standard of Chinese football is improving gradually.
"When you bring in a top player the whole training level goes up," Davidsen told DW. "If he has a good personality he lifts the teammates, he increases the demands of the daily training. And if you do that 300 days a year, then you will improve. Slowly and steadily, we see progression."
The perception is that the league is low in quality, but Davidson says any idea that the CSL is an easy ride for players is a misnomer.
"I don't see the difference between the Chinese and foreign players as that big because many top foreigners are also struggling here,” Davidsen said. "It's not as easy as people think. People presume that players can come here and can play at 70 percent but some top names come to the league and quite fast they're out again, because they can't deliver."