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Man Utd´s Asia tour at risk
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysian authorities caved in to pressure from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Tuesday and ruled Manchester United out of playing in the country in July, throwing their Asian tour into chaos.
The decision came as FIFA president Sepp Blatter called for the newly-crowned Premier League champions show some respect, adding that he was liaising with the Football Association to get United to change their plans.
"You are welcome but please come at a time that is acceptable to the whole football family," Blatter said on the sidelines of the AFC Congress here.
"If a big club is touring we appeal for a minimum of respect when they plan to travel to the region when the Asian Cup is being played."
The vice president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Tengku Abdullah Ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah joined AFC president Mohammed bin Hammam in calling for United's entire pre-season commercial tour to be called off.
Manchester United are also due to play in Macau, Japan and South Korea, but the dates clash with the Asian Cup -- an event intended to boost the region's local football support.
"If they want to come (to Malaysia) during that time they can't," Tengku Abdullah told reporters.
"The sanction has not been given by the AFC and we have to follow it. Manchester United cannot come to Malaysia during the Asian Cup. They will have to rearrange their schedule."
Manchester United, who have a massive fan-base across Asia, said they were optimistic their tour would not be scrapped.
"We are currently attempting to clarify with our tour organisers what the situation is in regards to Malaysia but we are confident that the rest of the tour will go ahead," a United spokesman told AFP.
Bin Hammam on Monday had slammed United as "disrespectful" for scheduling the tour during the flagship Asian Cup, which is being held in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam from July 7-29.
He suggested FAM could face disciplinary action if they allowed United to play in Kuala Lumpur on July 27, saying each association hosting matches had signed guarantees not to hold any other games when the Cup was on.
His fear is that a tour by such a big club will divert attention from the Asian Cup in a part of the world where English Premier league football is hugely popular.
"It is bad news for the fans but it is the feeling of the family of Asia," said Tengku Abdullah. "By the look of it the Asian Cup will have to take precedence.
"We all have to support Mr. Bin Hammam's call for Manchester United not to come to Asia at all during the Asian Cup.
"The feeling is that they have to reschedule."
It was clearly a decision taken reluctantly with FAM General Secretary Ibrahim Saad separately spelling out what he thought.
"As a Malaysian I'm surprised. It is out of tune for people to dictate to us how we celebrate our 50 years of independence," he said, referring to the United game that was to be part of celebrations of their independence from colonial rule.
Manchester United plan to kick off their tour against J-League champions Urawa Red Diamonds on July 17 in Saitama in Japan before travelling to the South Korean capital for a showdown with FC Seoul on July 20.
Alex Ferguson's team are then due to head to Macau for a match against Shenzhen on July 23, before ending the tour in Kuala Lumpur on July 27 against a Malaysian XI.
Malaysia was part of the schedule primarily because low-cost carrier AirAsia is one of Manchester United's key sponsors.
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