Soccer club Leeds to tour Myanmar amid 'ethnic cleansing'

Posted April 24, 2018 7:00 am

The Associated Press

LEEDS, England (AP) - English soccer club Leeds has announced a tour next month in Myanmar, where the United Nations has described the country's treatment of Rohingya Muslims as ethnic cleansing.

Leeds says it will play Myanmar's national team on May 11 in Mandalay, two days after facing an all-star team in Yangon.

The second-tier club, a Champions League semifinalist in 2001, says players will take part in coaching clinics for children organized by the Myanmar soccer federation.

The federation is chaired by businessman Zaw Zaw, the founder and chairman of a bank which is sponsoring the post-season visit.

About 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Many had their villages burned down and the UN has reported claims of widespread sexual assault by national security forces.

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