Despite the greater financial rewards on offer in the Far East and the club's links to Abu Dhabi, the home of owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan, City have accepted an invitation to take part in a three-game tour of South Africa in July that will see them face local clubs Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria.
United have been regular visitors to South Africa in recent years, touring the country during the pre-season campaigns of both 2006 and 2008, but with the European champions committed to a four-game tour of the Far East this summer, City have been handed the opportunity to tap into the burgeoning football market in South Africa less than 12 months before the start of the 2010 World Cup.