United confirm friendly in Nigeria

[TheGift]

Manchester United have confirmed they will travel to Nigeria in July to play a pre-season friendly against FA Cup winners Portsmouth, but Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo will be missing due to his involvement in UEFA EURO 2008.

Sir Alex Ferguson's team arranged the fixture to coincide with their tour to South Africa, which includes matches against Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates between 19-26 July.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp had already revealed the plan to play the match in Nigeria after his club's FA Cup final victory and United chief executive David Gill confirmed they will face Pompey in the Nigerian resort of Tinapa on a date yet to be confirmed, with July 28 and 29 under consideration.

The Premier League and European champions are also due to face Portsmouth at Wembley in the Community Shield on 10 August.

Premier League champions United are set to receive £1.5 million (1.8 million euros) to play in West Africa and Gill admits that the club are determined to capitalise on their huge fanbase in Nigeria.

He said: "Nigeria is home to our fourth largest fanbase, with research showing that we have over 13 million supporters in the country. Sir Alex and his staff are happy for the game to take place and we are happy that the conditions in Nigeria will help our preparations for the new season.

"When we agreed to go out there, we hadn't won the Champions League, so I think everyone will be very happy that we will be able to take the Premier League trophy and European Cup with us to Africa. This isn't the '39th step' by stealth. It's an opportunity for us to allow our fans in Nigeria to see the team in the flesh."

Gill admits that United are already planning next year's end of season schedule and he has revealed that a return to Asia is on the agenda, with a first trip to India a possibility.

He said: "For 2009, we are looking to go back to Asia. We discuss our plans with our main sponsors, AIG and Nike, as well as the club owners, but as things stand, we believe Asia is the place to go."

FIFA.com - United confirm friendly in Nigeria