A glut of Premier League sides, including Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United, are touring Asia this month hoping to cash in on the region’s unquenchable thirst for English soccer.
Queens Park Rangers (QPR) and Sunderland are also heading East, meaning a quarter of the Premier League will build up to the new season by jetting off to countries on the other side of the globe and where the searing heat can be punishing.
The clubs will not admit it, but the trips to China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea are less about soccer and more about the “brand,” in a part of the world where disposable income is rising fast.
It is all a far cry from the pre-seasons of yesteryear, when teams would warm up for a new campaign by spending a few days at an English seaside resort.
United, dethroned by rivals City as Premier League champions last season, have set the benchmark in attracting foreign fans and claim to have 325 million supporters in Asia, with officially endorsed fan clubs across the continent.
Alex Ferguson’s men play against Didier Drogba’s Shanghai Shenhua next Wednesday as part of a grueling pre-season schedule that sees them take in South Africa first, followed by China, Norway, Sweden and Germany.
However, if it was United that set the trend, the signs are that the rest are catching up — no more so than their city neighbors, whose captain Vincent Kompany said the club had a long-term strategy.
“It’s not like we arrive and say everyone has to become City fans right now,” the Belgian international said last month on a promotional tour to Kuala Lumpur, where the Premier League holders play a Malaysian XI on July 30.
“We want to show ourselves and prove that we’re a better club and hopefully becoming the best club in the world in the next 10 years,” he said.
City also take on Arsenal, in Beijing, three days earlier. The Londoners are similarly heading to soccer-mad Malaysia, and also taking in Hong Kong.
Julian Kam, chief executive of ProEvents, organizer of the -Manchester City and Arsenal visits to Malaysia, said that while teams benefited from an immediate financial spin-off, such as increased sale of merchandise, they were mainly looking to build a long-term fan base in Asia.
“For the fans it’s great. It’s right on their doorstep. It only makes sense that they come here and try to consolidate their fan base,” he said.
More than 45,000 tickets have been snapped up for the Arsenal game and 50,000 for City. Both games take place at the 100,000 capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium, with tickets costing between 58 ringgit and 388 ringgit (US$18 and US$123).
QPR, now owned by Malaysian budget-airline mogul Tony Fernandes, have firmly set their sights on boosting their profile in the Far East.
The London club swooped for South Korean star Park Ji-sung from Manchester United last week — a move skeptics said was with at least one eye on the Asian audience — and after a jaunt in Malaysia they go on to Indonesia.
Organizers there expect a sell-out for the July 23 match against Persebaya Surabaya, with about half the 45,000 tickets on sale still available. That already means that the crowd will be bigger than QPR’s average home gate.
“The match will give QPR more exposure and it will attract more fans in Indonesia,” said Abi Hasantoso, spokesman for organizers Indonesia Premier League, adding that QPR already had a large following in the country. “It is also a golden opportunity for our players to gain experience by playing against one of the best clubs in the Premier League.”
Sunderland are off to South Korea for the four-team Peace Cup from tomorrow to Sunday, but interest has been muted, with only 15,000 tickets sold so far for their clash with Seongnam.
Notable absentees from the Asian summer party are Chelsea and Liverpool. The US-owned Reds, who have long enjoyed significant support in Asia, are heading instead to North America, while the Champions League winners will be touring the US.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care