Man Utd cancel Indonesia trip after bomb blasts

July 17, 2009

Manchester United cancelled the Indonesian leg of their pre-season tour to Asia after a bomb exploded at the Jakarta hotel where they were due to stay next week.

“Following the explosions in Jakarta — one of which was at the hotel the team were due to stay in — and based on advice received, the directors have informed the Indonesian FA that the club cannot fulfil the fixture in Jakarta on the 2009 Asia tour,” the club said in a statement.

They were due to fly to Jakarta after their match in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday evening and play an Indonesia XI in front of a sell-out 100,000 crowd.

The club said it was trying to reorganise that leg of the tour, which also includes matches in South Korea and China.

“We are working on a revised itinerary outside Indonesia with the promoters and we will make a further announcement when these decisions have been made,” the statement added.

“We are deeply disappointed at not being able to visit Indonesia and thank the Indonesian FA and our fans for their support. Our thoughts go to all those affected by the blasts.”

It would have been the first ever trip to the sprawling country by the team which was booked into the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

But the hotel, along with the JW Marriott, was hit by explosions that have left at least nine people dead and more than 40 injured, many of them foreigners, police said.

Two blasts shook the Ritz-Carlton and the nearby Marriott in the upscale Mega Kuningan business district in the centre of the city around 8:00 am (0100 GMT), sending a huge plume of smoke into the sky.

A third explosion was reported near a shopping complex in the north of the Indonesian capital several hours later, but police later denied initial reports that it was also caused by a bomb.

The team have a huge following in Asia, with everyone from poor street vendors to wealthy businessmen donning Red Devils shirts.

The huge fan base and the commercial opportunities it offers makes their visit as much about business as football, and a chance to play in Indonesia for the first time was earlier cited by Ferguson as important for the club.

“Our fans in Asia generate money for the club, there are no two ways about it,” said United chief executive David Gill before they left Manchester.

Ferguson has brought a 22-man squad, but a glaring omission was Park Ji-Sung.

The South Korean was not on the team list on United’s website and was not seen arriving in Kuala Lumpur. No reason was given for his absence.

Also missing was defender Nemanja Vidic. Again, United gave no reason for the Serbia international’s absence although an ankle injury forced him out of a World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands last month.

The only other familiar face not to travel was Brazilian full-back Rafael Da Silva, although he too was suffering with an ankle problem.

Other than that United has a strong squad, with Michael Owen set to make his debut after his shock move from Newcastle earlier this month.

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP)

Tags: Asia, asia tour, blasts, business district, Carlton, China, commercial opportunities, David Gill, English Premier League, explosions, fan base, faroe islands, Ferguson, Indonesia, indonesian capital, initial reports, jakarta hotel, jw marriott, kuala lumpur, Manchester, manchester united, michael owen, NEWCASTLE, plume of smoke, red devils, ritz carlton hotel, saturday evening, shopping complex, south korea, street vendors, Sung, wealthy businessmen

SAfrica´s World Cup airport flies into trouble

May 19, 2009

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Johannesburg airport, expensively refurbished for the 2010 World Cup, wants to welcome visitors with open arms.

But light fingers have made baggage theft a problem, clearing immigration takes time while passengers complain that getting to the city is a nightmare.

All the renovations under the airport’s control have been completed in time for the Confederations Cup in June, the dress rehearsal for the World Cup, said Christopher Hlekane, general manager of the OR Tambo International Airport.

“We have completed our part of the program,” he said. “Now, it is time to work with government stakeholders” including customs, police and transport.

Hlekane believes the biggest challenge will be transporting people the 45 kilometres (30 miles) to the centre of Johannesburg, when the new public transportation system is still under construction.

The first phase of a the regional light rail system, the Gautrain, should be ready just before the World Cup, linking the airport to the Sandton business district, where many hotels are located.

But the massive task is advancing slowly.

“We might not be finished for the World Cup, but we are working towards that. We’ll know by the end of June this year whether we will be finished or not,” said Gautrain spokeswoman Ingrid Jensen.

The Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) has already stepped in to finish work on the Gautrain station at OR Tambo, even though that was not part of its planned renovation work.

Hlekane said getting the job done is more important that maintaining walls between the different agencies.

“We don’t take that approach, because if we fail, we will all fail,” he said.

In that spirit, ACSA hired 400 private security guards to assist the 1,000 police officers deployed in the airport, which suffers from the high crime levels that affect the whole country.

“There is a serious baggage pilferage problem at OR Tambo (Johannesburg) and Cape Town International airports,” the US embassy warns on its website, advising travellers to secure their bags as much as possible.

Conscious of the problem, authorities aim “to reinforce control over all staff, on the tarmac, at immigration, customs and the luggage service,” according to police spokesman Ben Groenewald.

Some of the 32,000 police officers specially recruited for the World Cup will be deployed in the airport, added Groenewald, who heads up security planning for the event.

More staff will also be deployed for customs and immigration, with special visas available for people coming for the tournaments.

“We will have more staff available,” at immigration points during the Confed Cup and the World Cup, said home affairs spokeswoman Siobhan McCarthy.

“For both the World Cup and the Confederation Cup, we will have express dedicated lanes for spectators and FIFA accredited members.”

Last year criminal gangs were targetting tourists at the airport, following them and robbing them as they headed to their destination.

Authorities say they’re working on improving the situation, conscious that the most of the foreign tourists expected for Africa’s first World Cup will start their experience at the Johannesburg airport.