Catalans line up for Thailand tour
A whopping Bt400 million will be spent on FC Barcelona's trip to Bangkok this August, when they will join a programme of activities culminating in a clash against the Thailand national team.
The “Chang Champions Cup – FC Barcelona Asian Tour 2013” would pit the best players in Thailand against arguably the best team in the world, at the Rajamangala National Stadium on August 7, said Thai Beverage Marketing’s executive chairman Marut Buranasetkul. A full first team featuring the world’s best footballer Leo Messi is confirmed for Barca’s Asian tour, which also has stops in China and Malaysia.
The ThaiBev marketing chief and his entourage last week flew to Spain to sign the contract with the four-time Champions League winners. They also observed the Barcelona team train at their La Masia ground, which for the first time opened its doors to the foreign press. Players spotted at the venue included Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, David Villa, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Alexis Sanchez and Alex Song. But Messi was unable to join training, after picking up a hamstring injury in the Champions League quarter-final away to PSG a week ago. Messi was expected to play a role in tonight’s second leg against PSG, with the tie level at 2-2.
Club captain Puyol represented the team in receiving souvenirs presented by Chang. The players then took a group photograph with Chang executives in front of the Thai flag to publicise their trip to Thailand, before joining daily training under Barca coach Tito Vilanova.
“The Chang Champions Cup – FC Barcelona Asian Tour 2013 will be another historic match for football in Thailand. This is the first time in a decade that FC Barcelona will meet with their Thai fans. The club currently has more than 400 million fans around the world,” said Marut.
“Chang had earlier convinced FC Barcelona to fly to Thailand. The club later agreed to be our partner at the beginning of this year. With this contract, FC Barcelona full team including Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and David Villa will be showing their skills in Thailand,” he added.
Tickets at Bt800-Bt4,000 will go on sale at ThaiTicketMajor outlets from May 11. Chang and other sponsors are organising a programme of events with Barcelona at CentralWorld shopping complex. For updates, visit www.Facebook.com/ChangWorld.
