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Gear up for football season with Champions Cup in Singapore

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The International Champions Cup third edition rolls into Singapore this July with a blockbuster selection of top European clubs. 

Gear up for football season with Champions Cup in Singapore
Fabrizio Ravanelli and Francesco Toldo join the JSSL Youth Soccer Club clinic participants for an afternoon of football and fun at The Arena football facility in Woodleigh Park.

Relevent Sports Group, owner and operator of the International Champions Cup, recently revealed the four-team line-up, comprising of Premier League giants Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Italian Serie A heavyweights Juventus and Inter. This year, the ICC also welcomes AIA as its first-ever Presenting Partner.

The ICC Singapore will be held from July 20 to 21, promising local and travelling fans a truly spectacular footballing treat. 

“We are very pleased to bring the International Champions Cup to Singapore again. The event is the only platform for fans in the region to get up close to their favourite teams,” said Charlie Stillitano, Executive Chairman of Relevent Sports Group. “Manchester United, Inter, Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur are clubs with strong support in the region, and we believe the fans will be happy to see them in action.” 

Added Melissa Ow, Deputy Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board: “With some of the biggest names in European football joining us for the International Champions Cup this year, Singapore will be an even more attractive travel destination for sports fans this July. As the only Southeast Asian stop of the ICC, we look forward to welcoming football fans from around the region, and aim to provide a memorable experience for our visitors that goes beyond the pitch.”

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This year’s tournament will cap a long-awaited return to the city state for both Premier League sides. It will also be their first appearance at the new National Stadium after Tottenham graced the old Kallang venue in 1995, and Fabien Barthez’s cameo as an outfield player headlined the Red Devils’ last visit in 2001. 

Conversely, it will be a second coming appearance in more recent times for the Italian sides. Juventus played the first ever football match in the newly-opened National Stadium against a Singapore Select in 2014, while Inter triumphed over Bayern Munich and Chelsea to be crowned champions of the 2017 ICC Singapore.

The opening match on July 20 will be between Manchester United and Inter, marking a decade since the sides clashed in the last eight of the UEFA Champions League. With both teams firmly in contention for Champions League spots this season, this summer meeting could well be a mouth-watering preview of a potential heavyweight match-up in Europe next season. 

To round off the weekend of football, Juventus takes on Tottenham Hotspur on July 21. A rematch of last season’s Champions League meeting, Spurs will be looking to get back at the side that defeated them in the round-of-16. With no shortage of world-class players on show, both the seasoned competitors from Turin and the 2018 ICC winners are set to serve up a top-quality battle.

Legends conduct football clinic

Four footballing legends were at The Incubator recently to take part in the tournament launch, announcing the four teams playing in Singapore – Dwight Yorke from Manchester United, Francesco Toldo from Inter, Fabrizio Ravanelli from Juventus, and Teddy Sheringham from Tottenham Hotspur.  

During their visit, Dwight Yorke also shared his sentiments about competing in Singapore, closer to Asian football fans, “We know Asia is one of our biggest markets, our biggest fanbase. We’re excited to come back to Asia, we love being in this part of the world.” 

Strong believers in giving back to the widely-loved sport, two of the players also passed on some valuable footballing tips with more than a hundred kids and parents in a football clinic. Toldo and Ravanelli spent some time with the JSSL Youth Soccer Club clinic participants at The Arena football facility in Woodleigh Park. They joined the participants in various drills, shared precious pointers, and took an endless number of photos with them and JSSL representatives.

Sponsors and partners

Entering its third year in Singapore, the ICC continues to forge strong partnerships from a variety of local and global brands.

UnionPay returns as the Official Payment Brand for the second year running after a successful collaboration in 2018. UnionPay customers can get priority access to tickets via an exclusive pre-sale, along with ticketing privileges and a range of other exciting contests and activities.

Award-winning lifestyle destination – Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) – joins as a sponsor, offering football fans access to their favourite stars through meet-and-greet sessions at RWS this July.

Iconic Japanese electronic gaming company Konami returns as a sponsor to promote the ever-popular Pro Evolution Soccer series to the football-hungry regional fanbase.

The ICC also welcomes its first Official e-commerce Partner, Shopee, where football fans in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines can purchase official football tickets. Shopee users in the Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia can also win a free trip to catch the tournament live in Singapore.

Official tickets will go on sale starting April 4, 2019, at www.sportshub.com.sg, Sports Hub Box Offices, as well as other physical locations. For more information, please visit www.internationalchampionscup.sg.

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