Chelsea, United to show off titles in city

The English giants are scheduled to play exhibition matches to mark the 80th anniversary of Boon Rawd Brewery, global partners of the two sides. United, fresh from winning their 20th top-flight title, will be the first to play on July 13 followed by the London side four days later, both against Singha All-Stars team at Rajamangala National Stadium.

The two sides’ Far East trips are similar given that both are visiting on the back of title-winning campaigns, with the Old Trafford outfit wrestling the league title back from their cross-town rivals Manchester City, and the west London club adding the Europa League trophy to their bulging cabinet. 

Both teams will arrive in Bangkok with new managers – David Moyes leading United after succeeding fellow Scot Alex Ferguson, and Jose Mourinho expected as the new man in charge of Chelsea, following the departure of interim manager Rafael Benitez.

United will touch down in the capital on July 11 before heading to sign a book of well-wishes for His Majesty the King. They will have an open training session on the eve of the match before leaving the country for Australia the night after the game.

Chelsea will hold a week-long Thailand training camp. They also start the trip with a book-signing event for the King after arriving on July 12. Then, Singha will host a gala dinner on July 14 before a clinic and meet & greet event the following day. The Blues too will hold a training session for the public on the eve of their match, before leaving on July 18.

Jaturon Himathongkam, Singha’s sports marketing manager, insisted fans would be able to watch all players of the two club’s first-team squads except those who are called up for the upcoming Confederations Cup in Brazil.

“The contracts we signed with the two clubs state clearly that they would come with senior squads. So, fans can watch big-name players in the flesh, except those who will miss the trip due to international duty.

“Man United have already confirmed that Chicharito [Javier Hernandez] and Shinji Kagawa will not travel with the team, as the pair got calls to represent their national sides in the Confederations Cup.”

Jaturon said the highlight would be the trophies the two sides will bring.

“It’s a good opportunity because both teams are coming to our country after winning titles. That certainly will make supporters of both clubs happy.”

Meanwhile, Singha yesterday unveiled Thai Premier League chairman Vichit Yamboonruang as the Singha All-Stars team manager and former national striker Piyapong Piew-on as the head coach responsible for picking the team.