JAPAN: MANCHESTER UNITED ARRIVE IN JAPAN FOR SERIES OF FRIENDLY MATCHES

Record ID: 338286

  • Title: JAPAN: MANCHESTER UNITED ARRIVE IN JAPAN FOR SERIES OF FRIENDLY MATCHES
  • Date: 27th July 2005
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (JULY 27, 2005)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. CROWDS AT NARITA AIRPORT 0.08 2. CHILD WITH HANDWRITTEN CARTOONS AND SIGN READING 'I LOVE MUTD, MAY I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH?' 0.12 3. VARIOUS OF THE MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM ARRIVING (RIO FERDINAND, RUUD VAN NISTELROOY, GARY NEVILLE, PHIL NEVILLE) 0.21 4. TEAM WALKING BY FANS 0.29
  • Embargoed: 11th August 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • Country: Japan
  • Reuters ID: LVA4UR0XX51I1AHWCC20NN9YHD8A
  • Story Text: The Manchester United squad arrived in Tokyo on
    Wednesday (July 27) for friendly matches against Japanese
    sides.

    United arrived in Japan from China, where they defeated
    Beijing Hyundai 3-0 on Tuesday. They play four-time J.

    League champions Kashima Antlers on Thursday and last
    year's league runners-up, Urawa, on Saturday.

    Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson told a news
    conference that they were not taking the matches lightly.

    "As far as the game is concerned, we are trying to get
    hold of some videos of (Kashima) Antlers to get a look at
    them. But we respect them, we think it's going to be a
    tough match. We think Japanese football is progressing all
    the time. So we look forward to that game," Ferguson said.

    There were fewer fans at Narita airport than when
    former United player David Beckham arrived with Real Madrid
    on Sunday (July 24).

    But Manchester United chief executive David Gill
    confronted criticism that the summer round of friendly
    games in Asia had become too commercial and was losing its
    appeal.

    "What we do is, when we come in, is we don't just come
    in and and sort of play the game and move on. We've had
    various meetings with the Chinese F.A. the clubs in China
    and we work with the local people to talk about football
    and development. And I think as part of that we don't just
    come in and take the money and leave, we tried to work with
    the authorities to make sure the game develops in the
    country," Gill said.



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