London, April 19 (IANS) English Premier League side Arsenal has announced that it will not organise the Emirates Cup football tournament next season.
Arsenal’s traditional pre-season tournament has been held annually in their stadium since 2007, reports Xinhua.
This summer’s Euro 2016 and pitch reconstruction at their home ground, the Emirates Stadium, have forced Arsenal to take this decision.
Arsenal’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis said on Monday: “We know how popular the Emirates Cup is with our fans here in the UK and around the world, so we are disappointed that we will not be hosting it this summer.”
“The shorter pre-season window and the need to re-lay our pitch has resulted in this decision being taken. We look forward to hosting the tournament in 2017,” he added.
According to Arsenal, reconstruction will begin at the field “immediately after the club’s final home match against Aston Villa on May 15, and continue throughout the summer in order to be ready for the start of the new Premier League season.”
The Emirates Cup was also cancelled in 2012 due to the Summer Olympics, which was hosted by London.
