It was expected to be a tantalizing match between Manchester United and Manchester City. At the ed, the game was not played, leaving behind a trail of frustrations in the place of anxiety and anticipation that had preceded the kick off time. The match had been expected to be aired on StarTimes, which had exclusive rights to the ICC tournament.
The two rivals were scheduled to meet at the host venue of the 2008 Olympics on Monday night, with a crowd of around 45,000 expected to attend the International Champions Cup (ICC) fixture.
However, following torrential downpours in the Chinese capital over the course of the last week, the two clubs became concerned about the quality of the pitch.
The surface was relaid earlier this month following the discovery of a fungal infection in the turf, but Beijing’s recent poor weather caused its condition to deteriorate further still.
The cancellation leaves United with just two friendly matches before they take on Leicester City in the Community Shield at Wembley.
Jose Mourinho will take his squad to Gothenburg this weekend to face Galatasaray before Wayne Rooney’s testimonial against Everton next week.
On Saturday, bad weather conditions forced a plane carrying half of United’s squad to Beijing to be diverted. The players touched down in Tianjin, approximately 70 miles outside the Chinese capital, late that evening.
The following day, Mourinho’s pre-match press conference descended into farce as the temperature rose to 40°C in the designated briefing room at the Bird’s Nest.