La Liga, CoinW outline plans for soccer in Taiwan

• By Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Taiwanese soccer fans might be able to cheer on some of the stars of La Liga at a local stadium this year after a deal signed between the Spanish league and cryptocurrency trading platform CoinW to invest in clubs in the nation’s south.

CoinW on Friday last week hosted La Liga executives and Real Madrid icon Fernando Morientes at the One League, One Legend event at the W Taipei.

At the event, the two entities inked a deal to help develop soccer in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Michael Sun, La Liga’s executive vice president for the region, said that negotiations are under way to organize exhibition matches in Taiwan as early as this season.

They would most likely take place in Kaohsiung, Sun said.

Morientes, an ambassador for La Liga, said that he was happy to visit Taiwan for the first time and had been treated well by CoinW and local organizers.

“I enjoyed the pearl milk tea and have heard that Taiwan has many other delicious foods,” Morientes said.

Morientes said that his trip was short, as he had to travel to Spain that night.

However, he promised to return to Taiwan soon.

Morientes has many fans in Taiwan, as La Liga games were broadcast in the nation during his playing days.

Supporters lined up to chat and shake hands with the former player, with some bringing Real Madrid shirts for him to autograph.

Morientes played for Real Madrid from 1997 to 2005, forming a lethal striking partnership with Raul in the late 1990s.

Later in his career, Morientes moved to AS Monaco, Liverpool, Valencia and Olympique de Marseille.

He represented Spain at the 1998 and 2002 FIFA world cups.

Sun said that La Liga sponsors have already invested in Taiwanese soccer and there would potentially be more programs after it signed the CoinW deal.

Support for the Kaohsiung Attackers of the women’s Taiwan Mulan Football League was strong during their title run last season, Sun said.

The win was an outstanding achievement, as Taichung Blue Whale and Hualien City had dominated previously, he said.

HELP FOR ATTACKERS

To help the Attackers defend the title this season, sponsors would provide resources and improved training programs, he said, adding that Spanish coaching staff would work here to further cultivate players and boost their skill levels.

The partnership between CoinW and La Liga would boost investment in soccer development and marketing in Taiwan and Hong Kong, as the two places have robust links with big sports markets in East Asia, CoinW said.

The deal marks the Asia-based cryptocurrency exchange’s first step into the realm of sports, CoinW said, adding that it would initially focus on interactive game engagement, immersive soccer-themed events and promotional activities.

CoinW chief strategy officer Nassar al-Achkar said he is bullish about Taiwan as a market for international sports.

Taiwan has plenty of room for soccer to grow, while his company would look to invest further in the nation’s top soccer leagues, he said.

Taiwan is well-known globally as a leader in advanced semiconductor chips, artificial intelligence, telecommunications and electronic products, which fuel the nation’s robust economic growth, al-Achkar said.

It also plays a key role in supply chains driving the global high-tech industry, he said.

Taiwan has great potential for growth as a leader in the high-tech industry, so many international investors would enter the market, including for international financing, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, he said.

INROADS

CoinW and other cryptocurrency platforms have already made many inroads in Taiwan, mainly among young investors searching for foreign opportunities, al-Achkar said.

The time is ripe for Taiwan as a fully developed economy with high incomes to link up with rest of the world, and engage further in soccer and other major international sports, he said.