SOUTH KOREA: FOOTBALL/ SOCCER: Manchester United train and give news conference ahead of South Korea match.

Record ID: 336193

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: FOOTBALL/ SOCCER: Manchester United train and give news conference ahead of South Korea match.
  • Date: 25th July 2009
  • Summary: NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS HEAD TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER UNITED CHIEF EXECUTIVE DAVID GILL SAYING: "Malaysia was pretty special, I think, China is as well. They are all very important markets to us. What we've done here you know is to really sort of work with the local companies to produce excellent commercial relationships" JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (E
  • Embargoed: 9th August 2009 13:00
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  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAERAMDXAVEFY2YAMSR15DKMWDO
  • Story Text: Thousands of South Korean fans cheer Manchester United players training for a friendly match against FC Seoul.
    English Premier League champions Manchester United trained in South Korea on Thursday (July 23) for a friendly match against FC Seoul on Friday.
    Around 3,000 South Korean fans gathered at the World Cup Stadium to cheer for their favourite soccer players.
    "I am thrilled and I really want to step down right now to hug my favourite player. But I can't because I could be arrested by the police," said 20-year-old fan Choi Young said.
    United have a huge South Korean following, especially with the nation's favourite player, Park Ji-sung, in the squad.
    After the two-hour-long training session, United held a news conference at a Seoul hotel.
    Chief Executive David Gill said Malaysia, China and South Korea were important to the club commercially.
    "Malaysia was pretty special, I think, China is as well. They are all very important markets to us. What we've done here you know is to really sort of work with the local companies to produce excellent commercial relationships," Gill told the news conference.
    Manchester United's Asian tour began with two friendly matches, which they won, against a Malaysia XI on July 18 and 20. The team was sheduled to play against an Indonesian All-Star team on July 20, but they had to cancel it after fatal bomb attacks in Jakarta.
    Manager Sir Alex Ferguson said it was unfortunate for the club not to be able to visit Indonesia, but there was never a thought of cancelling the rest of the tour.
    "Emphatic 'no'. There's not even a suggestion that we would ever contemplate going back home. We've committed to being here for the duration and that's we intend to do. It was unfortunate what happened in Indonesia of course. I think that the disappointment was very much more (for) the Indonesian side, because they prepared very well for it and they sold all the tickets," said Ferguson.
    FC Seoul team manager Senol Gunes, who is Turkish, said his team was ready for a good match because the club was doing well in the Asian and Korean leagues and the players had lots of experience, in spite of their youth.
    After Friday's game, United will complete their pre-season tour with a friendly game against Hangzhou Greentown in China on Sunday (July 26).
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