Amid all the brouhaha over Sergio Aguero’s totally spontaneous and completely fun selfie with the Chinese president, a true scandal was unfolding.
Chinese premier Xi Jinping was over in England, on Friday, for a taste of bitter, a tour of Manchester City’s sterling training facilities a hot-pot, no doubt, and a visit to the National Football Museum.
It was handy timing, then, that the museum was inducting former Man City trundler Sun Jihai to its hall of fame.
That’s right, the Chinese midfielder who played 130 games and scored three goals during his time in Manchester has now joined the likes of Bobby Moore, George Best and Kevin Keegan.
In a departure from their normal voting procedures, Sun Jihai’s inclusion was a decision made by the museum’s management.
A museum spokesperson told The Guardian the footballer was included in recognition of his ‘ambassadorial role in enhancing the profile and popularity of English football to a Chinese audience and to coincide with the state visit to the UK by President Xi Jinping’.
Shadow sports minister Clive Gifford [Labour] was not a happy bunny.
He declared, “I don’t think [Sun’s] record justifies his selection for the hall of fame
“It’s a grubby little fix and I think this sort of thing has gone on around football for far too long, where money has dictated what’s happened and not what goes on on the football field.”
