Chelsea to visit Indonesia in July
Reuters - Thursday 07 February 2013, 13:22
Chelsea will visit Indonesia for the first time in July as the final leg of their pre-season tour of Asia.
The European champions will face an Indonesia XI at Jakarta's 88,000-seat Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on July 25, following matches in Thailand and Malaysia.
Chelsea, whose website has Indonesian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and South Korean versions, have established strong links in Asia which chief executive Ron Gourlay says the club is keen to expand further.
"South-east Asia remains home to an ever-growing and passionate Chelsea FC support," he told Chelsea's website.
"In particular I look forward to visiting Indonesia for the first time, a country where we have an extensive fanbase that is eager to see Chelsea play.
"I am sure we will face strong opposition in packed stadiums as we celebrate the successes of some of our important regional partners and we will once again leave an important legacy in terms of the community work we conduct during the tour and for long afterwards."
Chelsea are opening a soccer school in Indonesia, having already established grassroots facilities in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Singapore.
Manchester United are also embarking on an Asian tour before the start of next season, announcing a match against Japanese side Yokohama F-Marinos in the Nissan Stadium on July 23.