May 08, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429

BANGKOK, May 7: Manchester City’s tour of Asia will go ahead, the Premier League club said on Wednesday, despite reports of a possible boycott by players over the uncertain future of manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

City are due to play matches in Thailand and Hong Kong at the end of the season but reports that billionaire Thai owner Thaksin Shinawatra had decided to sack Eriksson have angered fans and players.

“The media speculation does not affect the visit,” spokesman Paul Tyrell said in an e-mail sent to Thai media. “Mr Eriksson will be attending.

“(The club) have made no comment about the manager’s future. Dr Thaksin has stated there will be a full review at the end of the season.”Eriksson’s agent Athole Still has said Thaksin, the former Thai prime minister, may fire the Swede after just one season, despite having met his target of a top-10 Premier League finish.

Thaksin, who bought the club for 81 million pounds ($160 million) last July after being ousted by the military, gave no comment on Wednesday when asked about Eriksson’s future by reporters in Bangkok.

Thaksin did not attend City’s 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on Sunday, where fans directed their anger towards him and called for Eriksson to be retained.—Reuters