Hong Kong FA : Pool's made ‘outrageous’ demands to play...
-
It's all Hong Kong fooey, say Liverpool over summer tour to Asia
Rafa Benitez
Liverpool have hit back at claims by the Hong Kong FA that they made ‘outrageous’ demands to play a friendly as part of their summer tour of Asia.
Rafael Benitez’s side will now only play two games, in Thailand and Singapore, with Tottenham replacing them as Hong Kong’s opponents on August 2.
‘Liverpool wanted us to pay a £1m appearance fee and to get exclusive television rights and half the advertising revenue from the match,’ said a Hong Kong FA source said. ‘We would also have had to pay for their accommodation and air fares. This is outrageous.’
Liverpool rejected the claims in a statement, saying: ‘We were not able to agree on the rental price for the stadium in Hong Kong and the other terms that the Hong Kong FA set.
‘Liverpool FC had absolutely no discussions with the Hong Kong FA regarding appearance fees.’
Benitez yesterday revealed that Steven Gerrard is ready to return from a groin injury in Sunday’s home game against Newcastle, who could play Joey Barton following a three-month lay-off with a broken metatarsal.
Meanwhile, Manchester United will open their high-profile summer tour of Asia against a Malaysian Select XI in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, July 18.
United’s whistlestop tour - they will arrive on July 17 and leave immediately after the game - should at least be some compensation for having to cancel a trip to the country two years ago due to arguments over their presence during the AFC Asian Cup.
United’s other three games are in Indonesia, South Korea and China.
Everton will face the Major League Soccer All-Stars team at Salt Lake City’s new Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday, July 29, as part of their pre-season tour of the US.