The Manchester derby in Beijing has been called off less than six hours before it was due to be staged at the National Stadium due to concern over the pitch, with Manchester United saying they and Manchester City took the decision jointly.
A statement from a United spokesperson said: “Due to recent weather events, tournament organisers and participating clubs have made the decision to cancel tonight’s International Champions Cup fixture to be played in Beijing tonight, 25 July.”
The unfit nature of the surface following recent heavy rain meant United and City were forced to train at the nearby Olympic Sports Village and both José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola were clear that their players could be injured when speaking on Sunday before Monday’s game.
Despite these valid concerns the decision not play what would have been the first derby overseas is an embarrassment for each club. It is expected fans will be reimbursed.
United’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, said: “It’s extremely disappointing not to be able to play the game in this amazing stadium but the recent torrential rain would have caused problems anywhere in the world and has left the pitch unplayable.
“We know our fans in China will, like the players and staff, be saddened by the cancellation of the match but I am sure they appreciate that the player safety has to be the top priority. I am sure we will return to the Bird’s Nest in the future to give them the chance to see the team in action.”
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.
United are due to fly home from Beijing as planned on Monday night. Some of their squad who were not scheduled to play have done light training but City, who fly to Shenzhen on Tuesday for Thursday’s game against Borussia Dortmund, have not trained.
City’s chief executive, Ferran Soriano, said the club “remain committed to playing here in the future”.
The defender Vincent Kompany said: “It’s sad for us, it’s sad for our fans. Obviously it’s disappointing because we looked forward to playing a derby in Beijing for a long time. We had our groundsman working for 10 days on the pitch, but the conditions were just too dangerous for the players. It’s sad to call it off, but I think mainly we want to thank all the fans for their passion, for the way they’ve received us in Beijing.”
He added: “It’s been a special experience and everything in China has been greater than life itself almost; it’s been a truly a unique experience and it’s hard to put it into words when a big event like this is not happening, but I do feel it’s not the last time we will come to Beijing. If we’re patient, like Chinese people are, then good things will come around again and we’ll be here again … We have fans all over the world, and as much as we like to come and see you guys, there’s always an opportunity for you to come and see us in Manchester.”
The ICC said in a statement that the game had been “cancelled due to the extreme weather events in Beijing over a multiple-day period … in the interest of player safety”.