Liverpool to play in S'pore

The Reds, who have millions of supporters in Asia, haven't been as active as Manchester United and Chelsea in touring abroad. United will return to the region for a fifth time in 10 years in July, while Chelsea will take part in the Barclays Asia Trophy that same month.

'If you are going to build a business overseas a key part is to allow people to touch and feel the product on a regular basis,' commercial director Ian Ayre said in an interview with Bloomberg News yesterday. 'What's clear is that there's an opportunity for Liverpool to do much better than they had in the past.' The team intends to continue climbing up soccer's rich list, said Mr Ayre, 45, who is a candidate to replace outgoing chief executive officer Rick Parry. Mr Ayre joined the club two years ago.

According to a Deloitte report released last month, Liverpool is the seventh-richest club in the world with revenues of 210.9 million euros (S$409 million). The third-place Premier League team gained one place from the year before and Mr Ayre says sponsorship gains made in the past 12 months mean he 'would be shocked if we didn't climb further.'