Arsenal cancel Nigeria tour

Arsenal have announced they have postponed their proposed pre-season trip to Nigeria.

The Gunners were set to play a match in Abuja on August 5, but have now decided against fulfilling the fixture as “a result of complexities linked to the planned game.”

Arsenal marketing director Angus Kinnear said in a statement: “Bringing a top-level club to an international market is always complicated and logistically challenging.

“With the proposed match in Nigeria planned for early August, we could not get comfortable on everything needed to satisfy our requirements, so we have reluctantly taken the decision to postpone the team’s visit.”

Kinnear continued: “We have a huge and loyal following in Africa, and we are sorry that the team will not be visiting this summer.

“However, we have a long-term commitment to Nigeria and we are already making plans for a visit next summer.

“In addition, we also have some exciting forthcoming activities planned with our commercial partners in Nigeria – Emirates, Airtel and Malta Guinness, which will kick off in the next few weeks.”

Arsenal are set to tour Asia later this month, with a fixture against Manchester City set for Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium on July 27.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate