Inter Milan will earn a total of around €2.5 million for their participation in a preseason tour of Japan this summer.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who also note that the Nerazzurri have over 1.6 million fans in the Asian country.
This summer, Inter are on their third ever preseason tour of Japan.
The Nerazzurri had toured the country in 1981, and then again in 2004.
This has been part of Inter’s efforts to broaden their international appeal and fanbase.
But as the Gazzetta notes, the Nerazzurri already have a surprisingly strong football within the country of Japan.
Currently, they report, surveys indicate that around 1.6 million Japanese football fans consider themselves Inter fans. This is in the sense of considering the Nerazzurri the one club that they support. Fans with multiple allegiances are not included.
In addition, the Gazzetta note, the Nerazzurri have also established an Inter Academy presence in Japan. This has been the case for around ten years.
Inter Milan To Pocket Around €2.5 Million From Preseason Tour Of Japan
Given that there is a sizable degree of support for Inter in Japan, the country made sense as a preseason destination.
Japanese Inter supporters haven’t had a chance to see the team play in stadiums within the country in nearly two decades.
That will soon change, with the Nerazzurri set to play two friendlies.
First, on Thursday Inter will come up against Saudi Pro League team Al-Nassr. Among that team’s ranks is former Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, who made the switch this summer.
Then, the Nerazzurri will face Paris Saint-Germain at the start of next month.
They will come up against another recently-departed Inter player, in the form of defender Milan Skriniar who left on a free transfer to join PSG this summer.
All told, the tour will earn Inter around €2.5 million in revenues. That is in addition to the commercial boost that the team will hope to receive thanks to the tour.
