The German outfit's decision follows Mesut Ozil calling out the country for their alleged persecution of Uighur Muslims in the Far East
Bundesliga side Cologne have confirmed their intention to pull out of a deal that would have seen them run a football academy in China, with a club council member suggesting that the country has a “brutal dictatorship” so bad that 1984 novelist George Orwell couldn't have imagined it.
The partnership would have been worth £1.5 million ($2m) to the outfit that returned to the Bundesliga from the second tier last season, but it was put on hold over the summer and the club have now announced that they will no longer go ahead with the plans.