FCBARCELONA.CAT

09.08.2007 10:42

80% of seats already sold

David Saura

Hong Kong will be turning out in force to welcome FC Barcelona on Friday. The organisers have announced that 80% of the tickets have already been sold two days before the game is due to take place.

Barça should have no trouble attracting a capacity crowd to the 40,000 seater stadium in the former British colony of Hong Kong, which was returned to China in 1994. In a city of 7 million people, and with the rare chance to see such household names as Ronaldinho, Eto’o and Henry in action, it comes as no surprise that the people of the city are thrilled at the prospect of Friday’s match.

Tickets from 18 to 120

The final tickets are likely to be snapped up in the hours before kick off. At Wednesday’s training session , no fewer than 3,000 fans turned out to see the players on the club’s first ever appearance in Hong Kong. Tickets will be selling for the equivalent of between 18 and 120 euros.

The promoters

Like all of the games on the Asian tour, a local company is promoting the event. In Beijing it was Audi and in Yokohama it was MLJ. In Hong Kong the responsibility lies with the Mission Hills Group, the biggest golf club in the world, according to their own claims, and which be organising the Mission Hills World Cup for the next 12 years. The winner of the match will win a trophy bearing the company’s name.

If Barça’s opponents win the trophy, it is hard to work out who is expected to take the silverware home. That’s because the Mission Hills Invitation XI is a combination of players from two different clubs in the city, Kitchee FC and Happy Valley FC. The former of the two has played host in recent years to the likes of AC Milan, Newcastle and Juventus.

Liverpool the last team in town

Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool was the last major European side to play in Hong Kong, just a fortnight ago in two matches forming part of the Barclays Asia Trophy, when they beat South China FC, 3-1, on July 24 but then lost to fellow Premiership side Portsmouth 4-2, three days later in one of former Atlético man Fernando Torres’ first games for his new club. The game against the Chinese outfit was watched by 36,801 spectators.