Argentine Ambassador to China (fourth from left), Argentine footballer Veron (fifth from left) and officials from China, attend the Football Eagle Program launch ceremony. Photo: Courtesy of Argentine Embassy in Beijing

The famous Argentine footballer Juan Sebastian Veron and the Argentine Ambassador to China Sabino Vaca Narvaja participated in the launch ceremony of the "China Football Eagle Program" at the Capital University of Physical Education and Sports on Saturday. According to the first phase of the program, 10 young Chinese players will go to Argentina for a year-long exchange training program with the La Plata University Club.

The launch of the program coincides with the upcoming China tour of the World Cup winning team, the Argentine national soccer team, which will play a friendly match against Australia at the Beijing Workers Stadium on June 15. Tickets for this match will be available soon. The match will also be the first time the Argentine national team plays overseas after winning the World Cup.

The ambassador said that the Argentine national team's visit to China will further increase the love and passion of Chinese fans for Argentine soccer and thousands of young people want to be on the same level of Argentine players, "so we are promoting this with several Chinese provinces, the landing program of the Argentine Football Association training school and the exchange and cooperation between clubs, players and coaches of both countries."

In recent years, several provinces in China have seen the rise of soccer programs in partnership with Argentina. The Argentine Football Association is also promoting the cooperation of the Argentine Football Association Technical Academy in China, which will use the same training methods as the Argentine youth selection training and will adapt to the real conditions of the different cultures in each region.