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Real Madrid have stolen Manchester United's thunder in Asia by parading David Beckham on their regional tour, but the Spanish league's fixture list could hobble Real's chances of building on their success.

A string of public relations gaffes by Real - in Hong Kong the club kept 30,000 fans waiting an hour to see them train - appeared to matter little to fans who just wanted a glimpse of England captain and former United midfielder Beckham.

Real drew capacity crowds to four matches and more than 100,000 fans to their training sessions. They helped regional sponsors cash in and sold thousands of shirts, towels and other club paraphernalia.

Real took Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane to Asia, but analysts say it was Beckham who single-handedly boosted the club's fan base and sponsorship potential on a continent where fans follow individuals as much as teams.

Legions of fans came dressed in Real shirts with "Beckham" silkscreened on the back.Eric Ng, a Liverpool supporter, was happy to wear the Real white at the Hong Kong match on Friday but insisted he was not a Real fan. "Just David Beckham," he declared.

Andy Qian, who handles marketing for media group ESPN STAR in Beijing, estimated Beckham was half Real's selling point in China.

"Look at those who presented the team flowers (at the August 2 match in Beijing)," he said. "They all rushed toward Beckham. Were they football fans?"

Fixture problems

Real pocketed an estimated 7-8 million euros from the Asian fixtures under a contract with Madrid-based Asia Sports Development signed in February.

Beckham was transferred from English champions United in June for 35 million euros (US$39.54 million), a transfer which allowed Real to profit from his celebrity cachet as much as his cultured right foot.

"When we signed the contract with Real Madrid, Beckham was not signed yet," ASD CEO Stephan Attia said. "The rumour was there, but the rumour was also for Barcelona, for Inter Milan, for AC Milan.

"Without Beckham, already you have a dream team. Beckham is a huge additional value."

Real's plans in Asia include local football academies, fan clubs, specialty shops, restaurants and cafes. But England's premier league, led by United, still holds sway.

Deloitte and Touche Sport said in a report last month that the premier league owned about 25 per cent of the market while Spain's La Liga had 15 per cent.

Part of the reason for this is timing. The premier league plays afternoon matches every weekend and staggers its fixtures, getting better exposure in Asia. The Spanish league plays mostly in the European evening and schedules more games simultaneously.

Attia said La Liga could slot in one or two Sunday afternoon matches in the 2004-05 season.

"We are working very closely with people in Spain to explain to them this issue," he said.

Tour winners

Immediate winners from Real's tour appeared to be ASD and sponsors like Adidas and Siemens mobile, who attached their products to "Los galacticos," as the galaxy of talents at Real are known.

Real's players appeared on Audi billboards, cans of sport drink Jianlibao and buses splashed with Pepsi ads. Yunnan television paid more than 100,000 euros for rights for the training week in China's Kunming.

Japanese fans forked out over 25 million yen (US$210,000) for Real clothing during a practice session at the Tokyo Dome on August 3, a stadium official said.

Following the tour Real are set to overtake United as the fans' team of choice in China, said Ma Dexing, deputy chief editor at the soccer tabloid Titan Sports.

"Manchester United maybe hasn't seized its opportunities," Ma said. "And the result is Real Madrid has grabbed the first opportunity."

Agencies via Xinhua

(China Daily 08/13/2003 page8)