Barcelona finally flying to Japan after initially cancelling trip due to contract breach

FC Barcelona will travel to Japan this Thursday afternoon to begin their preseason tour, as previously reported by 'Jijantes'. Barça's plan has worked with the promoter, and after initially ruling out flying to Japan, they will finally travel this Thursday, with a few hours' delay, and the plan to play Vissel Kobe on Sunday at 12 p.m. Spanish time remains in place. Barcelona did not identify the promoter in it's statement, but when the tour was first announced, it had named them as the YASUDA GROUP.

Last Wednesday afternoon, the Blaugrana team announced that the first leg of the Asian tour was canceled because the promoter of the friendly against Vissel Kobe had breached the initial contract. This move by the club sparked a reaction in Japan, and according to the same source, Rakuten has been instrumental in assuming the remaining portion of the club's payment.

In a statement on Thursday, Vissel Kobe apologised to fans.

"We sincerely apologise for any concern this may cause for many fans and related parties who were looking forward to this match," the J1 league club said.

Meanwhile, the promoter for matches in South Korea, D-DRIVE, said on Thursday that they wanted to make the remainder of the tour success.

Marcus Rashford Trains Fully with the Squad

New signing Marcus Rashford took part in full training on Thursday, continuing from sessions on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. His involvement marks a positive sign for his integration into the squad. Despite the disruption, head coach Hansi Flick remains focused on his job—preparing the team physically for the start of the 2024–25 season. A full training session was held on Thursday morning, with Flick pushing the players toward peak form.