Man Utd face Turkish tie

Martin Edwards: Emergency board meeting

Manchester United may have to face Turkish side Galatasaray in a pre-season tournament after Italian giants AC Milan pulled out of the competition.

The English champions had been expected to take on Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Real Madrid, in a mouthwatering four-team contest in Germany, to mark Bayern's centennial celebrations on 4-5 August.

But the Italian side have been forced to withdraw from the tournament because of their involvement in Champions League qualifying matches, and Uefa Cup winners Galatasaray have been named as their replacements.

Board

Man Utd chairman Martin Edwards called an emergency board meeting as soon as he heard the news to discuss the possibility of pulling out of the tournament, according to reports.

The Old Trafford club and its fans were treated to a hostile reception when they visited Istanbul in 1994 to play a European Cup tie and tensions would undoubtedly be raised by another meeting.

The Turkish club beat Arsenal in the Uefa Cup final last month, but the final and the two-legged semi-final against Leeds were overshadowed by fighting between rival fans.

Galatasaray fans were banned by Uefa from attending the second leg of the semi-final at Elland Road over fears for their safety after two Leeds supporters were killed in Istanbul on the eve of the first leg.