Toldo: "Important to be close to our fans"

SINGAPORE - Francesco Toldo has emphasised how important it is for Inter to make the most of the opportunities offered in pre-season to reach out to the club's global fanbase.

The former Nerazzurri goalkeeper, who now coordinates Inter Forever, was speaking at the launch of the International Champions Cup Singapore 2017, when pre-season friendlies against Bayern Munich and Chelsea were confirmed for 27 July and 29 July respectively.

"The International Champions Cup is a prestigious competition and there are lots of reasons for us to make such a long journey from Italy,” Toldo explained at Thursday's news conference.

“Firstly, it's important for us to be able to play games and be close to our fans around the world.

“Secondly, it's an opportunity to test ourselves against great teams and for the coach to see how pre-season preparations are coming along.

“There are pros and cons to everything and it's worth making the long journeys to be able to play against top sides.

“Inter have lots of fans here – 163 million in the Asia-Pacific region – so it's important for the club to come here and play in these countries.”

Toldo also underlined the recent improvements seen at the club and commented on Inter's multi-cultural DNA.

"Inter are on the up and getting back to the level we want to be at. The club has been investing to take us back to the top and we need to be playing in the Champions League again soon.

“We have Chinese owners and an Indonesian president and that's an asset for us, just as it's always been an asset to have lots of foreign players. Multiculturalism enriches you.”