Fergie hits back at critics of Man Utd Asian tour

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Manchester United's midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo plays with the ball prior to the team's official training of their Asian tour in Tokyo Monday. — Photo: Internet

TOKYO, Jul 18 (AFP): Sir Alex Ferguson has hit back at critics of Manchester United's four-game Asian tour, denying the English club merely serve their own interests when they jet out for lucrative visits.
United were forced to cancel a game in Kuala Lumpur this month due to it clashing with Malaysia's co-hosting of the Asian Cup, but Ferguson said July was the only window the team had.
"It was unfortunate that the Asian Cup was on when we were free to come to the Far East," he said.
"Every second year we have a European Championship or World Cup, so we can't come at any given moment. We have to come when the window is there for us.
"But the world of football has changed. When I was a boy, we had no advantage of television, so we had to wait for stars to come to the country I lived in.
"The fans over here sometimes have to wait for the opportunity to see their favourite players in the flesh and that's what we do when we come out here.
"We are not trying to steal fans from other clubs like Urawa. Our fan-base is large enough already, but we hopefully give them the chance to see us live and hopefully be entertained.
"The other contribution we try to make is that some of the players went to a school for the blind in Tokyo on Monday and also visited a hospital for kids.
"We bring soccer schools for youngsters as well and we give time to particular causes."
United's tour drew stinging criticism from Asian Football Confederation president Mohammed bin Hammam in May when he called them "disrespectful" for scheduling a tour that clashed with the Asian Cup.
He was concerned that it might divert attention from the region's flagship competition, but he later toned down his rhetoric and even praised United for calling off the Malaysia match.
The Red Devils drew 2-2 with J-League title winners Urawa Red Diamonds on Monday in the first match of their tour that will also take them to Seoul, Macau and Guangzhou over the next two weeks.
United face FC Seoul in the South Korean capital on Friday, but new signings Owen Hargreaves and Nani are both set to miss out again due to injury.