United have yet to decide what they will do to fill the void left by the cancellation of their Indonesia visit, although they have indicated they will remain in Kuala Lumpur. -- PHOTO: AFP
KUALA LUMPUR - MANCHESTER United on Saturday rejected an Indonesian plea to reconsider their decision to cancel a match in Jakarta, saying they had a responsibility to ensure the safety of their players.
The Premier League champions were due to take on an Indonesian All-Star team on Monday but pulled out after a bomb attack on the Jakarta hotel they were due to stay in on Saturday and Sunday night.
Indonesian Presidential spokesperson Dino Patti Djalal was quoted by the Jakarta Post as urging United to press ahead with the visit.
'There is no more powerful message to the world than to continue with the Jakarta match as planned,' he said. 'Of all the great feats that have been, and will be, achieved by Manchester United as a great football team with a heart, proceeding with the match in Jakarta as a measure of solidarity will be long remembered by history.'
'The decision to cancel the Jakarta leg of the tour was not taken lightly, but after an act of terrorism,' it said in a statement Saturday.
'The club received advice from a variety of sources, including our own Foreign Office. That advice has not changed and so the club's decision has to stand.
'Everyone at the club is disappointed not to be able to play in Indonesia, but it has a responsibility to its players and staff.'
United have yet to decide what they will do to fill the void left by the cancellation of their Indonesia visit, although they have indicated they will remain in Kuala Lumpur. Football Federation Australia said they had approached the team about staging a hastily-arranged fixture in either Sydney or Melbourne against A-League champions Melbourne Victory or Sydney FC. But a spokesman said logistical issues put paid to the plan.
United play a Malaysian XI here later Saturday before taking on FC Seoul in South Korea on July 24 ahead of a trip to China two days later. -- AFP
