Asian fans prepare to tune in for Manchester showdown in FA Cup final

Showpiece is not the occasion it was for fans in countries such as Singapore and South Korea but there remains strong interest

In order to watch Liverpool beat Everton in the 1986 FA Cup final on a 100-inch screen in Singapore’s Hyatt Hotel, hundreds of fans paid around £60 in today’s money lured by the promise of pizza, hot dogs and beer as well as, weirdly, the presence of Manchester United players.

The Red Devils had arrived at Changi Airport a couple of days previously for a friendly to be greeted by more than 300 fans at the airport, with Frank Stapleton an especially big draw. The Barcelona-bound Mark Hughes was popular too and trotted out the old “I knew we had followers here but not to this extent,” line. Kevin Moran, jet-lagged and talking about the need for sleep amid questions regarding his sending-off in the previous year’s FA Cup final, may not have made the watchalong party but a good time was had by all, especially Liverpool fans, in the Hyatt and elsewhere in the city.

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