Manchester City have been labelled 'disrespectful' by the Chinese media following their recent participation in the 2019 Premier League Asia Trophy.
Pep Guardiola's side, who were beaten 3-2 on penalties following a 0-0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final, were described as a 'stark contrast' to the other Premier League clubs present at the pre-season tournament.
The media outlet in question is government owned Xinhua, the biggest media organisation in the world, which describes this occurrence following City's 4-1 win over West Ham. Their piece reads: "Backstage, a gaggle of excited Chinese supporters wait patiently for legendary manager Pep Guardiola to leave the stadium and make his way onto the team bus.
"Suddenly, there are cries of 'Pep, Pep, Pep,' and 'Over here, gaffer!'.
"Flanked by two security guards, the manager strolls out. As he gets closer to the fans, the calls get louder and more frantic, for this might be the only opportunity they get to meet their hero.
"As he draws level with the Chinese fans, the excitement reaches fever pitch, then suddenly dies. Without breaking stride and with eyes fixed on the empty space ahead of him, the manager walks on by, shielded by his two heavies."
The article goes on to explain more examples of 'disrespect' shown by the Premier League champions, adding: "Taken alone, it might have been excusable as a one-off occurrence, perhaps due to jet-lag or a packed schedule.
"But unfortunately for Chinese fans here and local media, it proved to just be one example among many of the utter disrespect shown by Manchester City to their hosts during their tour of China.
"This year's Asia Trophy has borne witness to a huge contrast between the treatment of Chinese fans and those from abroad.
"There has been a huge contrast between the treatment of Chinese media and foreign media, and there has been a huge contrast between the behaviour of Manchester City and the other teams in the tournament."
For City, who hope to expand their group of satellite clubs into China, the trip has been a PR nightmare.
Source :
90min
