Chelsea’s
stars Eden Hazard and Demba Ba will be coming
to town for the first time! The Belgian and the Senegalese are poised to make
their maiden trip to Kuala Lumpur as part of the English Premier League team’s
2013/2014 pre-season tour.
This will be ‘The Blues’ third visit to Kuala Lumpur since 2008
and the friendly match against a Malaysian Selection will be played on July 21
at the Shah Alam Stadium. Chelsea will also play matches in Thailand and
Indonesia.
Malaysian fans will also get the
opportunity to watch UEFA Champions League winners such as Ashley Cole, Petr
Cech, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill who will join the likes of Hazard and
Ba on the Malaysian leg of the tour.
It will also be a sweet trip down memory lane for current skipper
John Terry as it was in Kuala Lumpur that he earned accolades as team captain
when lifting the Premier League Asia Cup in 2003, during Chelsea’s playing tour
then.
This year’s summer tour will see the
club living up to the theme ‘Here to Play, Here to Stay’, and is made possible
through the concerted efforts of ProEvents International and the Football
Association of Malaysia.
Chelsea will take to the field against
the Malaysian Selection who are also known as Harimau Malaya (Malayan Tigers) four days after their friendly
against Thailand All-Star XI on July 17 in Bangkok, before flying to Jakarta to
conclude their tour against an Indonesian XI on July 25 at the Gelora Bung
Karno Stadium.
Chelsea’s Chief Executive Ron
Gourlay said they are pleased to return to Kuala Lumpur as there is a large
fan-base among Malaysians.
“It is
fantastic news that we will be adding Kuala Lumpur to our already
confirmed match in Bangkok and Indonesia this summer,” said Gourlay
at a press conference today at the Saujana Hotel in Subang.
Also present
were the FA of Malaysia Vice-President Dato’ Seri Subahan Kamal who is also the
national team manager and FAM
General-Secretary Lt Gen (Rtd) Dato’
Azzuddin Ahmad.
“We look forward to the match against
what promises to be a strong and improving opposition. Two years ago
in Malaysia we narrowly won before 85,000 fans. And we are looking forward
to the same stunning atmosphere once again. Each time we travel to Asia I
am amazed at the reception, and I am sure this summer will be no different,”
added Gourlay.
Kuala Lumpur has been home to a
Chelsea FC Blue Pitch since 2011, providing a hub for their staff to bring
expert grassroots coaching to Malaysian youngsters, and was also utilised
during the youth team’s mini-tour of Asia last summer.
ProEvents International Managing
Director San Boon Wah said Malaysia has always been the key destination for
English Premier League clubs and Chelsea’s third visit here since 2008 will
provide their fans another thrilling experience of watching Chelsea’s new
signings for the first time.
“I am sure fans from this region will be very
excited to watch the star-studded Chelsea team play against the Malaysian
Selection,” said Boon Wah. “Several of them will be playing in Kuala Lumpur for
the first time. It is great news and we appreciate Chelsea’s efforts to bring
their best possible squad to Kuala Lumpur.”
He added that ProEvents takes great
pride in organising this match and thanked the FA of Malaysia and Chelsea fans
as well for their continued support.
“All Malaysian football enthusiasts
should come and support the Malaysian Selection and Chelsea as well. I am
confident the Stadium will once again be packed for this exciting match against
Chelsea who have in their line-up some of the world’s most renowned players.”
Chelsea official club website receives
more than 180,000 unique visits each month from Malaysia, and the club’s
Facebook page has almost one million fans in the country. News on ticket sales
for the matches against Malaysia will be posted on the official Chelsea
website and ticketpro.com.
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