Monday's Int'l Champions Cup match between Man City and ManU "has been called off because of the state of the pitch in Beijing," according to SKY SPORTS. A statement on the ManU website "confirmed what would have been the first Manchester derby" outside the U.K. had been postponed "after rain in the build-up left the Bird's Nest playing surface in a poor state." Both clubs have apologized for the decision -- "with some fans having travelled to China especially" -- in statements published on Man City's official website. ManU Manager José Mourinho criticized pitch conditions at the Bird's Nest Stadium at the weekend, "saying his only objective was to get his players home healthy." He said on Sunday, "I think Beijing is unlucky because the pitch is very bad. The condition of my players is more important than the results in pre-season" (SKY SPORTS, 7/25). The BBC reported organizers later said that the match "will not be rearranged." The first meeting of the respective managers in a Manchester derby since taking charge "will now take place" on Sept. 10 in the Premier League. Rain had fallen overnight in Beijing "and there were forecasts of more heavy rain on Monday." The clubs' planned training sessions "were switched away from the stadium on Sunday to the Olympic Sports Centre, about a mile away." Because the game has been cancelled "there will not be enough matches played in the tournament for there to be a winner" of the ICC (BBC, 7/25).
MAKING AMENDS: In London, Jack de Menezes reported ManU and Man City fans who "travelled more than 5,000 miles for the pre-season derby in Beijing, only to see it cancelled, will get a full ticket refund and a thank you video from the club’s players" in return of spending thousands of pounds to travel to China. ICC organizer Relevent Sports issued a statement on Monday to apologize to fans "who had spent a lot of money on either getting to China or attending the match itself," with tickets costing between £60 ($79) and £300 ($394) for the match (INDEPENDENT, 7/25).
CLUBS PROMISE TO RETURN: In London, James Ducker reported both clubs insisted they "remain committed to touring China in the future," despite preseason preparations "being plunged into chaos" after the cancellation of the match in Beijing. Torrential rain and fungus problems "had rendered the pitch" at the Bird's Nest in the Chinese capital "totally unsafe." ManU midfielder Juan Mata and Man City captain Vincent Kompany "led the apologies to the 50,000 fans" who had bought tickets costing up to £300 for the game. But despite "the farcical turn of events inviting fresh debate about the merits of touring Asia in rainy season and the conflict between commercial and footballing interests," ManU and Man City "were adamant that the embarrassing episode would not deter them from touring China again in a clear pledge of support to fans and sponsors." The pitch at the Bird's Nest "had ended up resembling a patchwork quilt after fungus problems had forced groundstaff to dig up large sections of the turf" only for rain to wash away the replacement grass (TELEGRAPH, 7/25). In London, David McDonnell opined ManU "will land back home" around 5am on Tuesday after "the most shambolic pre-season tour in the club's illustrious history." The club played "just one game in China." It had to "cope with plane diversions, switched training sessions and an abandoned press conference in a room with no air conditioning in which temperatures nudged 40C." What the club gained in a "shorter tour this time around," it lost with the problems it encountered in China, "namely the debilitating heat, poor playing surfaces and torrential rain, the worst Beijing has seen for 60 years" (DAILY MIRROR, 7/25).
