July 22, 2007	Sunday	Rajab 06, 1428

SEOUL, July 21: Manchester United will tour South Africa in 2008 after admitting that Africa and Asia, rather than the US, are the regions where their fan-base is most fanatical. The Premiership champions, currently in Asia on a four-leg pre-season tour, were due to land in Macau on Saturday after wowing fans in Tokyo and Seoul earlier this week.

United stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and injured South Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung have been subjected to incredible displays of adulation since arriving in Asia.

With Premiership rivals Chelsea opting to spend two weeks in the United States this month, United may have allowed the London club to steal a march on them in North America.

But with a huge following in Asia and Africa, United Chief Executive David Gill has admitted that the club’s future touring plans will revolve around the Asian and African markets.

“Chelsea over the last few years have been having a great time in America, which is fine, but we do what’s right for us and we’re comfortable with the opportunities with our history, our ground, our heritage, the way we play football,” he said. “Is America ever going to be as passionate as the Asian market? I wouldn’t have thought so.

“You see what the following is like over here and you see all the coverage and the amazing support we have. There is huge interest in Premier League football and Manchester United in particular.

“Where next? I think Africa is an interesting one. There’s clearly a great following for the Premier League in Africa and we are going back to South Africa next year. There may be issues in certain countries, but nonetheless, there’s a lot of money in Nigeria for example.

“There is a huge following for English football in Nigeria and, as more and more African players come to the Premier League, you can see that getting greater.”

United play the third game of the tour when they face Shenzhen FC in Macau on Monday. Sir Alex Ferguson’s team then move on to southern China for a clash with Guangzhou Pharmaceutical on Friday before returning to England. —AFP