European soccer teams struggle to build bridges to Asia

Top squads pull out of Asian pre-season tour kickoff in Korea over terms

20230707 Cristiano Ronald sits on the bench in 2019

Korean fans were angry when then Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo, second from right, was benched during a friendly match in Seoul in 2019. © AP

JOHN DUERDEN, Contributing writer

SEOUL -- Seven European teams were due to visit South Korea this summer as part of a soccer tradition: the Asian pre-season tour. Now, however, only the July 30 exhibition between Manchester City and Atletico Madrid is set to go ahead. Games involving Wolverhampton Wanderers of England, Italy's Napoli and Roma, Celtic of Scotland, and Spain's Real Mallorca have all been cancelled.

It is a reflection of how fans and federations in Asia have become more demanding, creating headaches for promoters who arrange these games and for clubs.

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