Vincent Kompany Apologises To Fans After Man City v Man Utd is Cancelled

VINCENT KOMPANY has apologised to Chinese football fans after the cancellation of the first Manchester overseas derby here tonight.

United and City were due to meet at the Bird's Nest Stadium at 12.30pm UK time but torrential rain overnight had left a newly-laid pitch too dangerous to play on.
Rival bosses Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola had joined forces yesterday to raise fears over injuries to their star players if the game went ahead on the surface.
And a decision to call off the game was taken at 2pm local time today.
The promoters of the International Champions Cup now face having to refund 50,000 fans who had bought tickets and it is a huge blow for the two Manchester clubs in their battle to win hearts and minds in football-mad China.

"The Manchester United v Manchester City match is cancelled due to the extreme weather events in Beijing over a multiple day period," an ICC statement read.
"The Committee and both teams made the decision together in the interest of player safety."
In a statement on City’s website, skipper Kompany, who is currently injured and wouldn’t have played in the game, sympathised with supporters who had been looking forward to seeing their heroes in action.
"It's sad for us, it's sad for our fans," he said.

"Obviously it's disappointing because we looked forward to playing a derby in Beijing for a long time.
“We had our groundsman working for 10 days on the pitch, but the conditions were just too dangerous for the players.
"It's sad to call it off, but I think mainly we want to thank all the fans for their passion, for the way they've received us in Beijing since we've been here.
"We're moving on now to Shenzhen to play against Borussia Dortmund now, so it's not finished for us in China, but obviously it's a big disappointment for us.
"There are things in life that you don't control and, as we say in Manchester, we just get on with it, and I think it builds up for the next time we come around for an even bigger event.

"But, like I said, in the meantime we have to get on with it, we move on to Shenzhen, and I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to get some good game-time in and obviously see our fans over there.
"It's been a special experience and everything in China has been greater than life itself almost, it's been a truly a unique experience and it's hard to put it into words when a big event like this is not happening, but I do feel it's not the last time we will come to Beijing.
"If we're patient, like Chinese people are, then good things will come around again and we'll be here again.
"I've been looking forward to Shenzhen as well, it's close to so many great cities as well; Hong Kong, Macau, and it's against really good opposition in Borussia Dortmund. We saw how they played against Manchester United.

"I might be watching it from a distance still at the moment, but there's a lot to learn out of games like this, so I'm looking forward to it.
"We're as disappointed as you are, but don't be down too much.
"We'll keep on fighting for you guys, we have fans all over the world, and as much as we like to come and see you guys, there's always an opportunity for you to come and see us in Manchester."
The original Bird's Nest Stadium pitch had been blighted by a fungal problem.
It had been re-laid but recent torrential rain had washed away much of replacement turf away, despite a team of 70 ground staff – including City's groundsman - working around the clock to try to make the pitch playable.

United posted the news on their official twitter account and said: “Due to recent weather events, tournament organisers and participating clubs have decided to cancel tonight's International Champions Cup game.”
United will now fly straight back to Manchester to continue their pre-season preparations.
They have a game against Galatasaray in Gothenburg on Saturday.
City will stay in China and travel to Shenzhen to face Borussia Dortmund on Thursday.