Guangzhou Evergrande to be listed on stock market?

China’s leading football club, Guangzhou Evergrande, is looking to be listed on the stock market, according to The Financial Times.  

The team, which is co-owned by Alibaba and Chinese property company Evergrande, stated last week that it had applied to list stocks on China’s exchange for small companies.

This ‘smaller’ stock exchange is called the National Equities Exchange and Quotations System (also known as the ‘third board’) and getting listed on it would increase corporate governance, entice strategic shareholders and endorse its corporate image, according to the company.

At this point it appears the investors are unwilling to sell any of their own shares and will simply be listing their equity. 

This is the latest financial event in what has turned out to be a big month for the team, which also signed up a USD15 million Brazilian midfielder and one of the world’s premier managers.

If the team manages to get its shares listed, it will be the first Asian football club to do so.