BANGKOK, March 6 – English Premier League football club Chelsea announced on Tuesday that it will visit Thailand in July to train and play an exhibition match against the Singha All Star XI.
Piti Bhirombhakdi, director of Boon Rawd Brewery Co., Ltd., parent company of Singha Corporation Co., Ltd. and Chelsea Chief Executive Ron Gourlay jointly confirmed at a news conference that Chelsea’s first team squad will visit Bangkok as part of its 2013/2014 pre-season tour. This is the first time a training camp will have been established in Thailand.
Mr Piti said Chelsea will face the Singha All Star XI at Rajamangala National Stadium on July 17 in an exhibition match aimed to mark the 80th anniversary of Boon Rawd Brewery.
Singha is the global beer partner of the Chelsea Football Club.
Mr Gourlay confirmed that the team will use Bangkok as its pre-season base and the team will also spend the week in the community as part of Chelsea’s promise “Here to Play, Here to Stay” legacy.
The Chelsea chief said he remembered the team’s last visit to Bangkok in 2011 when he made two promises:
‘One was if we won the Champions League, I would bring the team back within two year. I also promised we would open a Blue Pitch for use by the community in Bangkok. That was launched in July 2012. So we are delivering on our promises,” he said.
Mr Gourlay gave assurances the club will bring the strongest team it possibly can.
Apart from Bangkok, Chelsea will also play exhibition matches in Malaysia and Indonesia.
