China's Manchester derby called off
Monday's International Champions Cup meeting between Manchester City and Manchester United has been canceled due to extreme weather conditions resulting in an unplayable pitch at the Bird's Nest in Beijing.
The official statement included:
The cancellation was made in the interest of player safety and comes following extreme weather events in Beijing over a multiple day period, that have left the playing surface in a condition deemed to be un-fit for play. The conditions experienced in Beijing on July 19 and July 20 were reported as being some of the most extreme weather conditions the Capital of China has experience in recent history. Regular rain occurred also on the July 21 and July 22.
The decision was made collectively by tournament organizers, participating clubs, China Football Association, Beijing Football Association and the management of the National Stadium.
The adverse weather led to some rather farcical situations leading up to the slated kickoff of 7.35 a.m. ET. A plane carrying Manchester United players on Saturday was forced into an emergency landing in Tianjin, some 70 miles short of Beijing, due to stormy conditions.
Lost in China ☹ and I still figure out what she's calling this place where we stuck #mood Beijing here we go! pic.twitter.com/dKu6tnfnoC
— Memphis (@Memphis) July 23, 2016
Related: China chaos has Mourinho pining for home comforts
Then the playing surface of the Bird's Nest was found to have fungus, according to The Guardian's Jamie Jackson, and the stadium's media room was so hot that new United boss Jose Mourinho conducted his conference pitch-side. City manager Pep Guardiola sat his press briefing alongside midfielder Fernandinho earlier Sunday in the humid setting, and both required towels to address their perspiration.
Much to Mourinho's relief, United now continues its 2016-17 campaign preparations back in Europe with a friendly against Galatasaray on Saturday in Gothenburg, Sweden. City, meanwhile, has to remain in China to face Borussia Dortmund at the Longgang Stadium in Shenzhen on Thursday.
The Manchester derby was set to be the first played overseas, but the clubs will instead renew their fierce rivalry on Sept. 10 at Old Trafford.