Arsene Wenger will take the Gunners to China again this summer. Arsenal have announced they will play Manchester City in a pre-season friendly called the China Cup in the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing on July 27.
We had a successful tour to Asia last summer, playing matches in China and Malaysia. Ivan Gazidis said: “Further to our hugely successful visit to Hangzhou in 2011, everyone at Arsenal is extremely excited to once again be visiting China this year.
“We enjoy huge support in Asia and by playing a match in Beijing, we will once again be bringing the Club close to our loyal fans in China. The players and staff had an amazing time in China last year and we are all looking forward to visiting this great country again in July.
“The match against Manchester City is sure to be an exciting spectacle, with many great players from both sides playing in front of thousands of supporters in the wonderful ‘Bird’s Nest’ Stadium. It is also fitting that two English clubs are playing each other on the opening day of the London 2012 Olympics, in the stadium which hosted the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.”
Ticket details and travel options for supporters wishing to attend the match in Beijing will feature soon on Arsenal.com, together with any developments and news regarding Arsenal’s summer pre-season schedule.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are finalising plans for a pre-season visit to Nigeria this summer. Club officials are in Nigeria to inspect more facilities across the country for the tour, scheduled for August. Organisers DanJan Sports and Arsenal officials also met with some local Gooners.
“It’s been a lovely time here, the energy level is absolutely unbelievable,” Arsenal’s marketing director Angus Kinnear. “We are still inspecting potential facilities in different states and the fans are excited about the tour.
“Essentially, the connection with the fans has been amazing. Arsenal went to Asia last year and what we’ve seen on the ground here is encouraging. Like we’ve emphasised, there is a strong desire to connect with our fans in Africa and the first step starts in Nigeria.”
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