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July 26, 2016

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Weather scuppers City-United derby

THE much-awaited Manchester derby between City and United in Beijing yesterday was called off due to bad weather, and fans will be given a refund.

“Due to recent weather events, tournament organizers & participating clubs have decided to cancel tonight’s International Champions Cup game,” Manchester United said on its official twitter account.

Organizers also posted a notice on the tournament’s official site, saying the match was canceled due to weather.

“Beijing has seen continuous heavy rains in recent days. To ensure the safety of players and fans, the organizers, together with Manchester United and Manchester City clubs, decided to cancel this match,” the notice said.

The match was supposed to be the first derby outside England between the two sides, and was due to kick off at Beijing’s National Stadium at 7:30pm. However, the stadium turf was in poor condition due to rains.

This year’s three-match ICC China tournament also involved Borussia Dortmund. United lost 1-4 to the Bundesliga side in the first match in Shanghai last Friday. Organizers said the third match between City and Dortmund, scheduled for Thursday in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, will go ahead.

Organizers said fans who bought tickets for the canceled match will get a refund. Players from the two Manchester teams will also record a thank you video for supporters.

“Beijing has good training facilities, but the pitch is wet and it is a problem for our players,” United manager Jose Mourinho said on Sunday. “But the most important thing for me is to take the players back home safely without any injuries.”

Some of Mourinho’s players — the team took two flights from Shanghai — were forced to land in Tianjin on Saturday as a violent storm in Beijing made it impossible for their flight to land there.




 

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