Roma to wish Chinese fans happy new year with shirt message

The players will honour their Chinese fans by wearing the customised shirt for the club’s home Serie A match against Sampdoria at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.

The greeting on the shirt, in reference to the fact that 2016 is the year of the Monkey in China, will read:"Golden monkey brings good fortune and happiness."

The same message will be displayed on LED boards inside Stadio Olimpico throughout the match– ensuring TV viewers all over the world, including in China where the game is being shown live – will be able to see the greeting.

Meanwhile, captain Francesco Totti has recorded a personalized video message in English and Chinese to be broadcast as part of a Chinese New Year Gala programme which will be shown on CCTV and via the Alipay app.

New Roma signings Diego Perotti and Stephan El Shaarawy, along with goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny and midfielder Radja Nainggolan, have also recorded a fun video for fans as they attempt to learn Chinese while striker Edin Dzeko sat down to answer 15 questions submitted exclusively by Chinese fans on Sina and WeChat.

To conclude the activities, four first team Roma stars have taken part in a Chinese-themed crossbar challenge video that will be distributed to fans across the club’s social media platforms over the weekend.

These initiatives mark the continuation of the club’s engagement with its growing Chinese fan base while aligning with Roma’s strategic global vision.

Last year, AS Roma wore a custom shirt with a Chinese greeting immediately prior to Chinese New Year and launched an official Sina Weibo account – the first time the club had communicated with Chinese fans in a local language. Last month, AS Roma launched a new WeChat account in China.

“We were thrilled with the positive response from our fans in China last year and it is a pleasure for us to recognize the Chinese New Year again this season,” claimed AS Roma CEO Italo Zanzi.

“We continue to grow our presence in China and look forward to bringing Roma closer to our fans there with more engaging initiatives soon.”