Fans of AC Milan and Manchester United in Southeast Asia will get to see their favorite players. Both European football clubs have confirmed that their pre-season schedules will take place in Singapore and Malaysia this summer.
On the official United website, it was announced that Bruno Fernandes and his teammates will face the ASEAN All Stars at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on May 28th.
The ASEAN All Stars will be coached by South Korean Kim Sang-sik, the national team coach of Vietnam. The appointment of Sang-sik was confirmed by the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) on its official website (April 10).
The return of Manchester United, also known as the Red Devils, to Kuala Lumpur marks their first match there since 2009, or 16 years ago.
At that time, United played two matches against Malaysia XI. In the first match, United won 3-2 (July 16, 2009). The second match ended in a 2-0 victory (July 20, 2009).
"We appreciate the amazing level of support that Manchester United enjoys around the world and this summer we are delighted to deliver a schedule that provides our fans in Asia, Scandinavia and the United States the opportunity to connect with the club and watch the men's first team play live in local settings," said Chief Executive Officer at Manchester United Omar Berrada on the United official website.
"Importantly, tour fixtures drive significant additional revenue which help make the club stronger, allowing us to keep investing in success on the pitch. They also create unique opportunities for us to collaborate with our valued commercial partners, and to deepen relationships with our fans in regions such as Asia and the US," said Omar.
In addition to Kuala Lumpur, another Asian country that will be visited is Hong Kong. United will face the Hong Kong national team on May 30th at the Hong Kong Stadium in Hong Kong.
On the other hand, AC Milan will also greet its supporters in Asia during its pre-season tour this summer. Milan is scheduled to play against Arsenal on July 23rd at the National Stadium in Singapore.
Singapore will be the starting point of Milan's Asia tour. After the match against Arsenal in Singapore, Milan will face Liverpool FC in Hong Kong on July 26th.
