Countdown to Man City Match as Clubs Agree to Donate Proceeds to Charity

As the countdown to this month’s hotly anticipated match continues, the Prime Minister has revealed that a hefty chunk of the ticket proceeds from the friendly game against Manchester City will be donated to charity.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak confirmed that the proceeds from 60 per cent of ticketing sales would be donated entirely to Yayasan 1MDB (“1Malaysia Development Berhad”) to help Malaysians in areas of education and healthcare, amongst others.

Najib also reassured fans that special accessibility pricing would be in place for thousands of tickets.

This will ensure that passionate Malaysian fans would not have to worry about being priced out of the opportunity to watch the National team as they take on the City squad, to see the likes of Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez.

With kick-off due just over two weeks away on the 30th July the tension is palpable among the many who are keen to see the current titleholders of the English Premier League.

Announced in April, the match will take place at the 90,000 capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium.

‘We are very honoured to be hosting Manchester City, as we are the only Southeast Asian country given this opportunity,’ read a statement by the FAM Deputy President Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

“We are confident we will be able to live up to expectations of making their stay here memorable.”

“Fans at Bukit Jalil are assured Manchester City will produce the same kind of charisma and camaraderie they displayed during the 2011/12 season when playing here in July.”

And City are equally excited it would seem.

“This visit is hugely exciting for Manchester City,” City Interim Chief Executive Officer John MacBeath said.

“It is clear that there is significant appetite for the Premier League in Malaysia, and we are very excited to be taking our talented squad there to put on a sporting spectacle for our fans in South East Asia.”

“To witness the fans’ excitement first hand will be a fantastic experience,” he added.

After Arsenal, Manchester City are the second major team to have committed to a tour here proving an appreciation of Malaysia’s obsession with the sport.

It’s the first ever visit to Malaysia for City, with Roberto Mancini’s men headed to Kuala Lumpur after a brief match against Arsenal in Beijing.

Ian Cafferky, City’s Chief Commercial Brand Officer, described it as a “fantastic opportunity” to meet their Malaysian fans.

“When we looked to go on tour, we looked for our fans and what the statistics told us, Malaysia has the fastest growing fanbase in the world,” he said.

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