Manchester derby cancelled in Beijing

The International Champions Cup (ICC) match between English Premier League rivals Manchester City and Manchester United was canceled hours before kick-off on Monday after heavy rain made the pitch unfit for play at Beijing’s National Stadium.

“To ensure the safety of players and fans, the organizers, together with Manchester United and Manchester City clubs, chose to cancel this match”, the notice said.

“It has been a pleasure and an honour to experience such a warm welcome from the people and supporters here in Beijing, and we remain committed to playing here in the future”.

Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola have called a temporary truce – over a shared fear their players could be injured in today’s Manchester derby in China.

The decision to call off the match followed a pitch inspection by representatives of United, City, the International Champions Cup and its technical advisers, the Sports Turf Research Institute.

In short, the club’s preseason duties in China are something the Portuguese wants done and dusted as soon as possible.

The FC crew breakdown how they see the rivalry between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho unfolding in the teams’ first meeting.

“We didn’t see the pitch but there is a lot of water in the last days so we understand it’s not in a good condition”, said Guardiola.

“We don’t want to expend too much energy in training because of the humidity but we stay here, we play, and then go back to Manchester for two more weeks of preparation before the first official game”. “No injuries”, he replied.

Another United fan, who said his name was Bruce, was angry because he had paid RMB1,000 for a ticket ($150) and believed the weather was not entirely to blame.

“I don’t think it was the weather. It’s just the field is not good”, he told AFP.

Mourinho’s men played only one game in the Far East, the 4-1 defeat to Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

“We are lost somewhere, we had to make a quick landing somewhere”, Depay says in the video.

Meanwhile the smaller venue struggled to cope with the invasion of hundreds of reporters, photographers and TV crews to cover United’s every move.