In the full investigation of FIFA into signing
young players, a partner of Real Madrid in
China for the development of football schools,
Soxna, has brought and kept 25 young Chinese
footballers under the age of 14 in Spain (the
best from the Evergrande Real Madrid Football
School, according to the Soxna website). They
have done it in conjunction with Guangzhou
Evergrande, the club with which Soxna have
signed a deal for 13,339,832.
The contract between the parties, confidential
but seen by this newspaper, was signed in China
on August 11, 2014. The basic agreement is the
cooperation for developing international players
of a high level.
Article 19a of the FIFA Statute for the protection
of minors states that all clubs that operate an
academy with which they have a relationship of
law and/or of economic ties shall notify the
presence of minors who attend the academy to
the federation in which the academy operates.
According to the partner of Madrid, Soxna is
the company appointed by Real Madrid for the
development of the football schools of the Real
Madrid Foundation in China. Real Madrid and
Evergrande signed an agreement in the summer
of 2011 to develop players in Guangzhou.
Fifteen coaches were selected by the Spanish
club to work there while Soxna dealt with the
management. The coaches working in China
wore the crest of Real Madrid, while those in
Madrid carry the logo of Soxna.
As recently as February 19, Soxna reported that:
The Chinese government spoke to Soxna about
the possibility of developing a master plan with
the intention of integrating football into the
education system in China. Soxna presented the
project to Real Madrid, who did not hesitate to
join as an official partner. On April 16 2013
Soxna, Real Madrid Foundation of the Ministry
of Education of China signed an agreement for
the development of the plan.
Within the contract between Soxna and
Evergrande, it gave the best students of the
Guangzhou school the objective that after three
years, for every group of 25 students at least 50
per cent could reach professional level to
continue in Spain until they were 18 to have
access to the most relevant professional teams
in Europe.
The economic figures are as follows: the first
year to pay 1,709,026 to Soxna for the training,
education and other concepts as reflected in the
contract of the 25 youngsters. Another
2,938,191 for the 50 children who are expected
to return for the next season; 4,020,282 for 75
to attend for a third year and 2,938,191 and
1,734,143 for the following two years. In total,
13,339,832 for the 225 Chinese children who
had agreed to move to Madrid, without their
families, in these five years. Nearly 60,000 per
child. The best of whom come from the Football
School that Real Madrid maintains with
Evergrande in the city of Guangzhou.
Expatriate children living under contract on a
University Erasmus. The boys would share space
with seven other university students. In the 27-
page contract it states that the 25 children will
be offered Chinese food once or twice per
week. The word parent does not appear in
the document.