ManU and Real Madrid are involved in a "heated row over their summer tour arrangements" in L.A., according to James Ducker of the London TELEGRAPH. Both clubs picked the city as their preseason base, which has led to a series of arguments over "everything from hotels to training pitches." Relations between the clubs "soured to the point" that officials at Int'l Champions Cup organizer Relevent Sports has been "forced to intervene in an effort to placate both parties." Sources admitted the situation has been a "nightmare" to deal with and is "likely to ensure a tense meeting" when the teams face each other at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on July 23. The "uneasy" relationship dates back to Real Madrid's courtship of Cristiano Ronaldo. Former ManU Manager Alex Ferguson "famously declared" that he would "not sell that mob a virus" when asked about the possibility of Ronaldo joining Real, only later to sell the Portugal forward for a then world-record £80M in '09 (TELEGRAPH, 7/12). In Manchester, James Robson reported ManU Manager José Mourinho "appears to have won one battle" -- with his team securing its preferred choices of the Montage and Beverly Wilshire hotels, where it stayed on previous visits to L.A. Real Madrid based its HQ at the Beverly Hills Hotel. ICC organizers "have also had to mediate regarding training plans" at UCLA. Mourinho's squad is carrying out its preparations "just yards away" from Real Madrid Manager Zinedine Zidane's (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 7/13).
