WHEN Real Madrid and a galaxy of soccer superstars swooped down on China last Friday on the first leg of their Asia Tour, their focus was more on money than on football.

　　The Spanish giant is due to pocket 8 million euros (US9.2 million) from the four Asian friendlies.

　　This "near-robbery" has drawn criticism and opposition from all over the Asia.

　　The general-secretary of the Asian Football Confederation, Peter Velappan, has described Real Madrid as "blood-suckers" and "mercenaries".

　　He questioned the motives of European clubs embarking on Asian tours and ordered his 45 national associations not to offer big sums of money to clubs "coming here with exorbitant, greedy and extortionate match fees."

　　Velappan said Real demanded close to US3 million in appearance fees alone to play in various Asian cities, plus five-star accommodation for 40 people and other costs.

　　"While we respect the players, they should not suck the blood out of people who support them," he said.

　　A ticket to watch a training session in the Honta Sports Centre in Yunnan Province cost at least 500 yuan (US60), a big sum for an ordinary worker.

　　Velappan was making his comments the day after a match between Real Madrid and the Malaysian national team had been cancelled because of disagreements about fees. The match had been scheduled for August 10.

　　The Spanish club had demanded 11 million Malaysian dollars (US2.9 million) to play in Kuala Lumpur which was beyond the resources of Malaysian soccer and the total cost of holding the match would have amounted to 18 million Malaysian dollars (US4.75 million).

　　Singapore is reported to have rejected Real Madrid's overtures to host a match because of the high appearance fee demanded.

　　For the same reason, the friendly match in Hong Kong was nearly aborted and was only saved when the club agreed to lower its price.

　　The Oriental Sports Daily also revealed that the Chinese league football club, Shanghai Shenhua, had rejected an offer by Real Madrid to stage its pre-season trials in the city because of the high fees demanded.

　　Real had asked Shenhua for the use of its training ground but had also asked for 7 million yuan (US850,000) an hour to appear there, according to the newspaper.

　　"Real should make it clear that Real needs Shanghai so it chooses Shanghai but it's not that Shanghai needs Real and chooses Real," protested Lou Shifang, the general manager of Shenhua Club.

　　"The arrogant and overbearing manners of Real during the negotiations were nothing but an insult to Chinese football.

　　"If they want to make money, they should lower their heads. They should show their modesty."

　　Real had to deal with the Yunnan-based Top League Honta club to stage their pre-season training.

　　And the organizers tried almost every means to meet the ends. The cost of accommodation near the Honta Sports Centre tripled, even quadrupled.

　　According to the Oriental Sports Daily, the organizer will receive 400 yuan (US48) from each journalist reporting Real in the team's Honta base.

　　And the tickets for a training match on July 29 in the 40,000-seat Kunming Tuodong Stadium in Yunnan Province cost between 180 and 780 yuan (US22 to US94).

　　"Teams have to understand when they come out here, it has to be at a reasonable price," Velappan told the BBC. "It is not a question of a sporting gesture because the average football fan is not a rich guy. If the organizers are going to take away the kind of money that the team is asking from the fans, this is not fair."