Manchester derby scrapped

Manchester United’s showpiece pre-season derby against Manchester City was cancelled just hours before kick-off Monday because the Beijing pitch was “too dangerous” for players.

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany said club staff had been working to get the game on after days of heavy rain.

“We had our groundsman working for 10 days on the pitch, but the conditions were just too dangerous for the players,” Kompany said on the club’s website.

“The rain has made it totally unsafe to play on this pitch,” added Man City CEO Ferran Soriano in a statement.

Organisers of the International Challenge Cup tournament, which also features Borussia Dortmund, confirmed the match had been called off on grounds of player safety. “The conditions experienced in Beijing on July 19 and July 20 were reported as being some of the most extreme weather conditions experienced in recent history,” the organisers said in a statement.

Both managers, Jose Mourinho of United and Pep Guardiola of City, had told reporters they were worried after training was moved on Sunday because of the state of the turf.

“The pitch and the conditions of my players are more important than results in pre-season,” Mourinho said.

Guardiola was blunt when asked what he wanted from the ill-fated match. “No injuries,” he replied.