Sognando i Mondiali: il discorso ufficiale sulla riforma del calcio

China’s investments in global football have raised the attention of observers all over the world, due to the size of capitals deployed by China’s companies as part of a systemic approach that has been strongly encouraged by the Chinese Communist Party. In 2011, Xi Jinping announced China’s ambition to become a football powerhouse in the future decades, and then portrayed this aspiration as part of the "Chinese dream". In line with this goal, in 2015 the State Council published the Chinese Football Reform and Development Programme, which articulated the country’s strategy to become a “sport power” by promoting the development of the football industry. Building on content analysis of the document, this contribution discusses the characteristics of China’s official discourse on the reform of football in China, showing the interaction between the economic and the political aims of the project.