Summary
4 March 2013
The former England football captain, David Beckham, has been hired by China's football authorities to do a very special job. They want Beckham to promote their domestic Super League. He will perform his new role while still playing for Paris St. Germain.
Reporter:
Damian Grammaticas
Will David Beckham change Chinese football?
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Report
David Beckham says he's 'honoured' and 'excited' by this new role, as part-time global ambassador for Chinese football. It could be one of his toughest yet.
In the world's most populous country, football has struggled for popularity. Corruption and match-fixing have tainted Chinese football. And recent attempts by Chinese clubs to hire star players from abroad, including Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka have foundered. The big foreign names have left after just a few months, disappointed by their new clubs or the standard of the game in China.
In the same way he was an ambassador for the London Olympics, David Beckham's role will be to promote China's Super League inside and outside the country. In particular he鈥檒l try to encourage Chinese children to get interested in the game.
It's not clear how much he'll be paid by China's League to be its ambassador, but he'll continue to play football for his new French club Paris St. Germain.
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Vocabulary
- honoured
proud and happy
- role
job or responsibility
- ambassador
person who represents the sport
- toughest
most challenging/hardest
- corruption
illegal activity, especially by people in power
- tainted
spoiled
- standard
quality
- to encourage
to increase interest in
