August 02, 2007	Thursday	Rajab 17, 1428

MADRID, Aug 1: Italian World Cup winning defender Gianluca Zambrotta has joined in criticism of Barcelona's upcoming promotional tour of Asia, saying it will hamper preparations for next season.

“It would be better to stay in Barcelona to prepare for next season. It is not easy to prepare in such a distant place,” he told a news conference on Wednesday.

“It is not easy for the players, the constant travel, the jet lag,” the 30-year-old former Juventus player added.

Barcelona, who finished second in the Primera Liga last season, head to Beijing on Thursday and will play three exhibition matches in China and Japan before returning to Spain on August 11.

The team's French defender Lilian Thuram has also questioned the wisdom of the tour.

“Technical ability is also crucial, but the physical side is still vital too. Training is hard now, but that is normal. We are in pre-season and you have to push yourself to be fit for the whole year,” he told a news conference on Tuesday when asked about the tour at a press conference.

Barcelona will face Beijing Guoan on August 5 in the Chinese capital and Yokohama Marinos in Tokyo two days later.

The team will then face Mission Hills Invitation XI, a squad made up of players from Kitchee FC and Happy Valley FC, in Hong Kong on August 10.

The Spanish championship kicks off on August 25.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta defended the trip, telling reporters that a similar pre-season tour of Asia in 2005 did not stop the team from going on to win the Spanish championship that season.

“We have a club membership of 150,000 and it is necessary to give back to them the maximum amount of profit,” the online edition of Catalan daily La Vanguardia quoted him as saying.

In August 2006 Barcelona went on a two-week pre-season tour of the United States and Mexico which was blamed by several players, including Ronaldinho, for their lack of peak fitness when the season began.

The leg through the United States alone earned the club four million euros (5.5 million US dollars), according to Spanish media.

Real Madrid stars, including Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, also protested against an 18-day promotional tour of the USA and Asia carried out before the 2005-06 season that included six exhibition matches.

Real this year will not tour either Asia or the United States and has limited its pre-season travel to locations in Europe.—AFP