The International Champions Cup (ICC) has become the latest and most high-profile sporting event in Singapore to be affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
In response to The Straits Times' queries, ICC organisers Relevent Sports Group (RSG) confirmed yesterday that the event will not take place in Asia this summer. It is believed the tournament, which features top European teams and world-class footballers, could still proceed in the United States.
RSG said it "has been closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation globally and after weeks of consultation with various partners, we have made the difficult decision to not host matches in Asia this summer".
"The health and safety of fans, clubs, players, staff and partners are our top priority and we believe this is in the best interests of all parties involved," it added.
"Asia remains a key component of our global growth strategy and we look forward to hosting matches in the market in the near future."
ST understands the three teams being lined up for the National Stadium were English giants Liverpool and Manchester United and German side Borussia Dortmund.
This would have been the final edition of the four-year deal with RSG but there could be good news for fans here after the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) confirmed it was in discussions over a new deal.
It told ST: "The 2019 edition drew record-breaking crowds of over 103,000 to the Singapore National Stadium over two nights, of which over 25 per cent were foreign fans - an indication of the strong interest in football in the region.
"As a world-class football spectacle, the ICC further entrenched Singapore as a regional sports tourism hub and added to our wide array of reputable sports events.
"While we regret that the tournament will not take place in Asia this year due to the global Covid-19 outbreak, we respect Relevent Sports Group's decision, and look forward to partnering them again in future."
The Singapore Sports Hub said it understood RSG's decision and added that it "will continue to work on delivering multi-type sports, entertainment and lifestyle events and activities at this destination for Singaporeans of all ages and interests to enjoy".
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ICC SINGAPORE CROWD FIGURES
2019
Manchester United v Inter Milan: 52,897
Juventus v Tottenham: 50,443
2018
Atletico Madrid v Arsenal: 23,095
Arsenal v Paris Saint-Germain: 50,308
PSG v Atletico: 22,007
2017
Chelsea v Bayern Munich: 48,522
Bayern v Inter: 23,338
Chelsea v Inter: 32,547
The ICC's cancellation follows disruptions to two major events here. Golf's HSBC Women's World Championship, which was scheduled for this week, has been called off and the Singapore Rugby Sevens in April was pushed back to October.
These are part of a worldwide trend as the epidemic has seen more than 83,000 cases globally, with a death toll of over 2,800.
Formula One's Chinese Grand Prix was cancelled, as were several international golf tournaments in the region and the Asean Para Games. Other events like the World Team Table Tennis Championships and World Athletics Indoor Championships have been postponed while the Chinese Super League football competition has been suspended indefinitely.
Since the ICC was first staged here in 2017, attendance figures have exceeded 300,000. A record 52,897 showed up to watch United beat Inter Milan 1-0 last year.
Liverpool fan Ng Wei Jin, 29, was among those disappointed. The Reds' last visit to the Republic was in 2009. He said: "I can understand the concerns over the virus and how having tens of thousands in the stadium could turn out to be a nightmare scenario."
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