Barcelona's pre-season friendlies in South Korea to go ahead as per plans
According to SPORT, the matches in Seoul and Daegu will be played without issue, and the team will travel to South Korea in the coming days.
The update came after the outlet contacted the Korean-based event company Allive, which has been subcontracted by D-Drive, the firm Barça had officially announced as the organiser of their 2025 Asian tour.
Allive reassured the publication that all preparations are in order, and there are no foreseeable issues preventing Hansi Flick's squad from facing the two scheduled South Korean clubs.
Korean leg will go as planned
Despite the chaotic start to the tour, sparked by a 'serious breach of contract' that led to the cancellation of the match against Vissel Kobe, Barcelona are determined to move forward.
The Korean leg of the pre-season tour will go as planned. (Photo by)
In South Korea, local organisers and fans are already preparing for the arrival of the team, while the players continue their training routine at the Ciutat Esportiva.
Unless complications arise that are beyond Allive's control, both fixtures in Seoul and Daegu will be held as planned. This brings some much-needed stability to what has otherwise been a rocky start to the club's pre-season.
Barcelona remain deeply frustrated by how the Japan leg of the tour collapsed, especially considering that Vissel Kobe had made the friendly official weeks in advance.
There is ongoing internal discussion within the club, and some voices are even considering legal action to make it clear that the blame for the cancellation does not lie with Barça.
For now, however, the focus shifts to South Korea, where Barça will aim to gain match fitness and continue their pre-season preparations under Hansi Flick without further disruption.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is Man United v West Ham United on TV? How to watch pre-season friendly online
Manchester United take on West Ham United at MetLife Stadium in New York this weekend as both teams prepare for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign. Ruben Amorim's side continue to invest, with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo bulking up the attack, while United's work also focuses on trimming the squad with Marcus Rashford finally departing on loan to Barcelona. United appear ready to target a new No 9, with links to Ollie Watkins, to complete a new front three. The Hammers look to evolve under Graham Potter, who struggled to impose his philosophy on the team last term. But Tomas Soucek is optimistic about the side's potential heading into the new campaign: 'It's been a good pre-season so far - the squad is together, and the coaches have been giving us great sessions. I've seen fresh faces and strong motivation from everyone, and it's important now we keep building towards the start of the season.' Here's everything you need to know about the pre-season friendly in New York: When is Manchester United v West Ham? The pre-season friendly kicks off at 00:00am BST on Sunday, 27 July (19:00 ET, Saturday, 26 July) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. How can I watch it? You can watch the game live on MUTV, with the official channel also being streamed on mobile devices via the United App and Fans in the United States can watch the game on NBC Sports. Team news Bryan Mbeumo could be handed a debut after his move from Brentford was finally confirmed. While Rasmus Hojlund and Chido Obi will compete to start as the No 9 for United. Joshua Zirkzee and Andre Onana could return from injury. Lisandro Martinez is also in the squad, but will be eased back from a serious knee injury. Harry Maguire is dealing with a personal matter but has now travelled to the United States and could feature. George Earthy is out with an ankle injury and Crysencio Summerville could return from a hamstring injury, while Edson Alvarez could be out due to his involvement in the Gold Cup, delaying his return to the squad. Predicted line-ups Man United XI: Bayindir; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Dalot, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Cunha; Obi West Ham XI: Areola; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Ward-Prowse, Soucek, Diouf; Paqueta, Bowen; Fullkrug Manchester United pre-season schedule All kick-off times BST July 19: Man United 0-0 Leeds - Strawberry Arena, Stockholm July 27: West Ham - MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, kick-off 12am (Premier League Summer Series) July 31: Bournemouth - Soldier Field, Chicago, kick-off 2.30am (Premier League Summer Series) August 3: Everton - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, kick-off 10pm (Premier League Summer Series) August 9: Fiorentina - Old Trafford, kick-off 12.45pm
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Marcus Rashford finally has his Barcelona move but Man United have paid a heavy price for saga
There is a history of Manchester United turnarounds at the Nou Camp. Now there may be another. A player who, six months ago, was not even granted a place on the bench for the team who went on to finish 15th in the Premier League, is now being unveiled as Barcelona's new signing. For Marcus Rashford, it feels quite a comeback. He may go from Ruben Amorim's bomb squad to Hansi Flick's bench. He might only be plan C after Nico Williams performed a U-turn to stay at Athletic Bilbao and Liverpool rebuffed an approach for Luis Diaz. As Flick's forward line consists of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, Rashford could yet spend much of his time watching on. And yet a loan move could feel evidence of his class and enduring appeal; vindication of his strategy, too. Since December, when Rashford said he wanted a new challenge, Barcelona has felt his dream destination, but far from United's ideal scenario. The Catalan club's well-documented financial problems meant the prospect of a sizeable transfer fee always felt remote. Now Rashford heads out on his second successive loan, with Barcelona possessing a €30m (£26m) option to make it a permanent deal. But United could be scarred by past clauses: they thought one meant Jadon Sancho was going to Chelsea on a long-term basis, and he is back on their books. Aston Villa had a £40m option to buy Rashford. But they did not qualify for the Champions League; in any case, it hardly felt that Rashford had his heart set on a lengthier stay. The price to purchase him has gone down by a third despite a loan spell that appeared restorative. The unwanted truth for United is that they will find it hard to ever sell Rashford for much of a fee, in part because of his enormous wages. It does not appear improbable that Barcelona will look for another loan next summer. But there were hints at Villa, glimpses of the Rashford of old, moments when he was running Paris Saint-Germain ragged. His 17 appearances brought just four goals, but they also yielded six assists. He displaced Ollie Watkins as first-choice striker and earned an England recall. There were signs of hunger; if the breakdown of his relationship with United was caused in part by nights out, there were evenings at Villa Park where he looked sharp and speedy. Unai Emery saw him smiling; the demanding Emery felt Rashford was responding to his methods. There is, nevertheless, a burden of proof on two men now. Rashford is only one, though his underwhelming last 15 months in the United team prompted Teddy Sheringham, among others, to suggest he had not deserved a move to Barcelona. That return of 15 goals in 67 games stood in contrast to the career-best season before then, the rush of 30 goals that led to one of the biggest contracts in United's history. Which, with his subsequent decline, scarcely seems the wisest of investments. If it is for Rashford to show he is good enough for Barcelona, that he belongs in the company of Yamal, Raphinha and Lewandowski, that, unlike some other quick forwards, his best days did not come early in his career before his acceleration diminished, the jury remains out on the question of whether United were right to discard him. Certainly, it is notable how few fans sided with Rashford: a player who could have been a United icon has instead become a symbol of an era of underachievement. A willingness to see him go may be an attempt to banish much of the last decade. None of Rashford's 426 games came for a team who genuinely challenged for the league title, or who reached a Champions League semi-final. And yet if one risk for Amorim is that Rashford shines for Barcelona, another lies in United's form. Shorn of Rashford, United registered their lowest league finish in half a century, with their fewest league goals since 1974. However blame is apportioned for Erik ten Hag's falling-out with Sancho, neither benefited. History has repeated itself: so far, Rashford's absence has done United no good. It is hard to imagine he would have scored fewer goals than Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. Making it clear he was persona non grata is scarcely the cleverest of negotiating ploys; it has diminished United's chances of striking a better deal. Meanwhile, United are spending some £133m on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, two replacements who have had better seasons but lack his pedigree. Meanwhile, United may have offloaded Rashford's salary for a season, but they are yet to cash in on him. There should be an essential sadness that a man who could have been destined for a status as a United great will instead be consigned either to the past or to annual loans. Even during a period when the team has declined, a return of 138 goals in 426 games at 27 years old could have one day positioned him on the all-time leaderboard. But there was also an underlying, unanswered question of how Rashford would have developed elsewhere, given a skillset that could have been suited to life under Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp. Instead, he has played for a details-obsessed Spaniard, in Emery, and now begins life under a German with a marked fondness for high pressing, in Flick. Rashford has got what he has wanted for months; perhaps longer. But he and United both ought to harbour regrets about how their relationship unravelled.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Injury blow for Rangers target Rak-Sakyi
Rangers target sustains injury in friendly as St Johnstone forward turns down new deal without release clause... Kilmarnock have accepted an offer from Lecce for defender Corrie Ndaba, 30. (Football Insider) Rangers target Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, 22, sustained an injury during Crystal Palace's friendly with Millwall. (Sun) Ipswich Town are "the level we are aiming to", said Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin following the Dons' 3-1 home friendly defeat by the English Championship side. (Record) Midtjylland captain Mads Bech Sorensen says the Danes will be playing "against 20,000" in their Europa League qualifying second leg with Hibernian at Easter Road, with the tie finely poised at 1-1. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required) Scotland defender Ryan Porteous, 26, is close to a six-figure move from Watford to LAFC. (Record) St Johnstone forward Uche Ikpeazu has a clause in his contract that allows him to join another club during the current transfer window and the English forward, 30, has turned down new terms without the clause. (Courier - subscription required) Larsen among Newcastle options - Saturday's gossip Rangers' offer for Rak-Sakyi rejected - gossip
