Germany and China are set to take their relationship within football to new heights, with China's Under 20 side in line to play in German football next season.
The two nations agreed a five-year partnership back in November and the next step of the link between the countries will likely see China's Under 20 team feature in the fourth tier of German football next term.
There are 19 teams in the Regionalliga Sudwest (the fourth division) at present and the talk is that China's young troops will become the 20th team in the league as they look to gear up for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in three years time.
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German Football Association vice-president Ronny Zimmermann told Kicker about the plans, which he says German clubs are in favour of.
"They [clubs in Germany] see this idea positively," he said.
"The planned cooperation with China with China is known. For that we need good content. We have to see if this idea can be realised.
"The managers of the regional south-west league will meet soon. A decision must be taken by then as the match plan will be drawn up."
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League president Felix Wiedemann confirmed that games against the group of Chinese players will not be competitive; no points will be up for grabs as results will not count.
It will merely provide an opportunity for teams to maintain their fitness levels with match practice when they would normally have a free matchday due to the fact there are an uneven number of teams in the division.
There is a financial incentive for teams in the league when they play against China's Under 20 side, though, as the proposal, if it becomes official, would see them receive a sum of £13,000 for partaking in the two home games.
Here's how Twitter reacted to German football potentially stepping into uncharted territory:
We're just waiting for the FA to announce the inclusion of Tahiti's Under 17 side in League Two as of next season...
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(h/t Sky Sports)
Featured Image Credit:Topics: German Football, Football, Germany
