Barcelona will return to Asia

Speaking to the club's official media, Barcelona marketing vice-president Jaume Ferrer has confirmed that Barcelona will soon return to Asia:

"Now we are back in the USA because after the treble and thanks to the interest in MLS, the American market offers high expectations and we have been able to charge as much for games as we did in Asia. In the future, FC Barcelona will probably alternate their tours between America and Asia, where we will certainly will return."

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona wanted to return to Asia this summer and the plans for a tour would already have been concrete.

But when Barcelona received a new proposal from the organizers of the tour in the United States, who raised their bid from a fixed fee of 1,1 million dollars to a fee of 1,9 million dollars for each game, Barcelona would have decided to change the plans last minute.

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2010 summer tour in Asia

2010 summer tour in Asia

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona will next year do a pre-season tour in Asia.

The club thinks that after three years a tour is needed to consolidate the club's position in the growing Asian market.

Barcelona would have a fairly strong position in Japan, but would need to strenghten their market share in countries like China, Malaysia and Singapore, that are dominated by English Premier League clubs and especially Manchester United. Because of the 2010 World Expo, Barcelona certainly plans to play a game in Shanghai, the largest city in China.

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Barcelona will open youth school in Japan
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Barcelona will open youth school in Japan

On Tuesday at midday in Tokyo, FC Barcelona presented its first football school in Japan, which will open in September in the city of Fukuoka to 200 boys and girls aged 6 to 12 years.

Miquel Puig, manager of the FCB Escola, made it clear that FC Barcelona's objectives overseas are to "expand the Barça brand worldwide, help the football in each country to get better and spot any talents that could emerge anywhere in the world".

Fukuoka will be the club's twelfth international school and the second in Asia, following the one opened in Hong Kong last September. Summer camps have been held with Japanese children in the past, such as one last August that was attended by about 400 youngsters in three different cities. Puig explained how these activities are all part of the process of setting up a permanent school as part of Barça's "expansion into Japan".

read more here


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Swine flu could lead to tour in Asia instead of US

Catalan radio station Catalunya Ràdio claims that the outbreak of the swine flu in North America could have an influence of Barcelona's pre-season plans.

Barcelona has two offers on the table to play friendly games: the United Sates or Asia. Until now Barcelona seemed to prefer the American option because of financial reasons. The club would receive two million euro for each game played in the US, which was superior to the amounts offered by Asian organizers.

Barcelona first vice-president Alfons Godall had said after a board meeting last week that the club is planning a tour and that the United States was at that moment the most likely option: "No deal has been signed yet. We're analyzing several options but the most probable thing is that the tour will be in the United States."

Barcelona would have planned to play three friendly games in New York, Seattle and California, but the tour could now be cancelled because of the spreading of the swine flu. The Barcelona executives who are negotiating the tour in the US would have been ordered to stop the talks if the situation gets worse. This would leave Barcelona with Asia as only one option for the tour.

Catalan sports apper Sport claims that Barcelona had already signed a pre-agreement to play a friendly game against Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds, the former club of Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain, between 5 and 10 August and most probably in Tokio. A new offer from the United States seemed to have left this agreement without effect but this could now again change.

Barcelona has also offers to play pre-season matches in China and South Korea. The club would at least try to close deals on two games in Asia (read more here). For each game, Barcelona would receive a fee of at least 2 million euro. This amount could get higher if Barcelona would win the Champions League later this month.

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Barcelona reconsidering pre-season tour

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona is reconsidering the 2009-2010 pre-season. An official announcement is expected soon.

Barcelona had plans for a tour in the United States, playing games in Seattle, Los Angeles and Miami (read more here), but this could change due to the withdrawal of the bid for an MLS team in Miami last month, the deals that has been signed to play friendly games in Asia and the Middle East and the club’s renewed focus on China and Japan.

Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola would also have asked to do the tour first and then start the real built-up to the new season. The pre-season calendar will anyhow not be definitely fixed before Barcelona knows if the team will have to play the Spanish and/or European super cup in the summer.

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