Football: Champions City headline Asian pre-season line-up

LONDON (AFP) - Manchester City will headline the Asia Trophy in Hong Kong later this year as the Premier League champions join their English top-flight rivals Tottenham and Sunderland in the pre-season tournament.

City, Tottenham and Sunderland will compete with local side South China FC at the biennial knockout event from July 24-27.

It will be City's second appearance in the tournament, having finished third in Thailand in 2005, and their second successive pre-season trip to the Far East after touring China and Malaysia last year.

Spurs were last involved in 2009, when they beat Hull in the final, while Sunderland will be making a first appearance.