Man United to woo Japan and Hong Kong

MANCHESTER United has added two new destinations to its Far East tour this summer and will play pre-season games in Hong Kong and Japan.

In Japan – where it has a strong fan base and an estimated 4 million followers, the team will play Yokohama  F. Marinos on July 23 at the Nissan Stadium, Tokyo.

Six days later, on July 29, the team will meet Kitchee FC in the Hong Kong Stadium, a move to further woo the club’s reported 108 million Chinese fans.

The Far East tour is sponsored by Aon, the US financial services group, which is the current lead sponsor for the team.

Manchester United chief executive David Gill said: “‘The club’s three main priorities when arranging a pre-season tour is to first and foremost allow the team to prepare for the season ahead, to engage with our global fan base and to connect with our family of commercial sponsors.

“I am confident that our visits to Yokohama and Hong Kong will be successful in delivering all these objectives.”

Greg Case, president and chief executive of Aon added: “This is a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate how our global partnership provides value for our clients, colleagues and communities, and it will show our clients and prospects, particularly in Asia, how the issues we help them with, such as risk management or health care, are equally relevant and important in the world of business and the world of sport.”