- Premier League Asia Trophy
The Barclays Asia Trophy is a prestigious four-team football tournament complete by three
Premier League football clubs and a local team from the host. In 2007, the trophy was won by Portsmouth.History
Due to the immense popularity of the
English Premier League in Asia, the league has held three pre-season tournaments in Asia previously, known as theFA Premier League Asia Cup , the only Premier League affiliated tournaments ever to have been held outside England.The Asia Trophy is held once every two years in odd years, to avoid the
FIFA World Cup andUEFA European Championship tournaments.2003 Malaysia
In July 2003 the competition was held in Malaysia, featuring three Premiership clubs,
Chelsea F.C. ,Newcastle United F.C. andBirmingham City F.C. , and the Malaysian national team. All matches were played in the 80,000 capacityBukit Jalil Stadium . The final was won byChelsea F.C. after a penalty shoot-out.2005 Thailand
In 2005 the Asia Trophy featured a similar format, held in Thailand and featuring the
Thailand national football team competing against three English clubsEverton F.C. ,Manchester City F.C. andBolton Wanderers F.C. , the latter of whom won the trophy.2007 Hong Kong
In 2007 the competition was held in Hong Kong, where
Liverpool F.C. ,Portsmouth F.C. ,Fulham F.C. andSouth China AA took part. The first match was won by Portsmouth 1-0 after a goal by Benjani in the 45th minute. Liverpool won 3-1 against South China thanks to a Riise free-kick and an Alonso penalty. South China pulled a goal back with a 40 yardLi Haiqiang free-kick, but was made irrelevant whenDaniel Agger scored to make it 3-1. Fulham beat South China 4-1 in the 3rd place play-off. Portsmouth beat Liverpool 4-2 on penalties to win the Barclays Asia Trophy after a goalless draw, with Pompey goalkeeper David James saving penalties fromYossi Benayoun andFernando Torres .2009
Premier League Chief Executive
Richard Scudamore claimed after the 2007 event that the Hong Kong event has been very successful, but the 2009 edition might still be staged inBeijing orShanghai instead.List of winners
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