European champion Liverpool has pulled out of its planned tour of Japan because of scheduling problems.
The English Premier League club was scheduled to play J. League side Shimizu S-Pulse on July 27 and 30 at Shizuoka but was forced to cancel the trip because it might overlap with the defense of its Champions League title, organizers said Thursday.
"We are very sorry to have to announce the cancellation of our scheduled tour of Japan because it clashes with our possible involvement in the second round of qualifiers for the Champions League," Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry said in a statement sent out by organizers.