SINGAPORE - Eight-time German champions Borussia Dortmund will finally get their chance to play in Singapore.
On Monday, the club announced that they will tour South-east Asia from Nov 21 to Dec 1 and "play a match against a local team" in Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Details on the exact opponents and dates will be announced later.
Dortmund, who have had an office in Singapore since 2014, last visited the Republic in 2015 for a short trip when they held meet-and-greet sessions that sandwiched a friendly match at Johor Darul Takzim.
They had planned to return to play here in 2019 and 2020 in the International Champions Cup, but the tournament length was reduced and later stopped altogether due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dortmund managing director Carsten Cramer said: "Following the agonisingly long period of restrictions due to the corona pandemic, it is a great pleasure for us to finally be able to pay a visit to our many fans and partners in South-east Asia once again.
"We've felt very welcome in the region for many years and can't wait to personally thank the people for their passion, but also for their patience."
However, they will be without their World Cup-bound stars like Germany's Julian Brandt and Marco Reus during this mid-season excursion as the quadrennial competition takes place in Qatar from Nov 20 to Dec 18.
Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl noted that "the unique interruption to the season... represents an unusual challenge for all clubs", adding that this trip will help their Under-23 and Under-19 players "whom we want to introduce to the senior squad at a high level".
Coach Edin Terzic added: "When there's a tight fixture schedule, there's usually hardly any time on trips abroad to get in touch with the country and its people.
"It's different in this exceptional case, and in addition to some enticing sporting match-ups, I'm looking forward to meeting as many Black and Yellow fans as possible from countries in South-East Asia and celebrating our shared passion for our BVB with them."
