Leeds Utd arrive for controversial tour of Myanmar
AFP
Leeds United arrived in Myanmar yesterday to kick off an end-of-season tour mired in controversy over whether the visitors should be playing in a country the UN accuses of ethnic cleansing against its Rohingya Muslim minority, reports AFP from Yangon. The second-tier English football club is scheduled to play two friendlies as they seek to build a fan base in the Southeast Asian nation. But the Championship team -- and their Italian tycoon owner who has business interests in Myanmar -- have come under intense criticism for the visit from British lawmakers and rights group Amnesty International. They say the club should not be touring a country whose military has forced some 700,000 Rohingya over the border into Bangladesh since last August. The players refused to answer any questions on the issue as they walked out of Yangon airport alongside saffron-robed monks, dreadlocked backpackers and a handful of diehard Leeds fans who had joined their team for the trip.
