Web of intrigue

Italian football club Juventus has recently launched new official websites in China and Japan, providing services including an online store, match highlights, interviews and discussion forums. The club and its advisors are making some very confident claims about the Chinese and Japanese markets, and apparently seem to believe that the sites will be a major success for the club. Is this the case? Is Juve big enough in China and Japan to succeed? Or will the club have to continue playing second best to Manchester United and Real Madrid in South-East Asia? Has the recent scandal in which the club was involved damaged the Juve brand, and are the effects of this enduring? And what about the websites, are they really so important in achieving market-entry, and building affiliation and securing retention amongst fans in South-East Asia? What do fans in this part of the world actually want from their European football clubs, is it simply a website or do they want something more? What does the online experience provide them with? What should it provide them with? Isn't a website simply a holding strategy, and tour games and direct access to players is much more important to fans? In which case, what part does a website play in terms of marketing, international and overall corporate strategies? May be websites are dead? Is the creative use of Twitter, Facebook, You Tube etc. a better way to engage with distant (sometimes referred to as 'dislocated') fans?