Borussia Dortmund have touched down in Singapore after a flight lasting almost seven and a half hours. The reception at the airport exceeded all expectations, with over 500 fans extending the team a warm welcome. Elsewhere, 70 autograph hunters were awaiting the Black and Yellows at the hotel - in addition to Suresh Letchmanan, the Head of the BVB Representative Office in Singapore.

The players are currently operating on a tight schedule, with Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gündogan heading directly to a press conference which was extremely well-attended and reflected the large-scale interest in Borussia Dortmund in the Asia region.

The tour presents no particular difficulties from a sporting point of view, according to the players. "We are playing our entire pre-season with a large proportion of the squad," stated Hummels, referring to the significant differences to last summer's pre-season campaign. Gündogan said: "Despite the exertion, the tour is helping the team move forward."

The focal point of training was passing - both in terms of precision and strength - with the high level of air humidity making the session a highly demanding one for all those involved. This evening the team will head to a gala event attended by 170 invited guests in the 1-Altitude Bar - the highest rooftop bar in Singapore. "In contrast to a number of other clubs, our motto is not simply fly in, fly out," said Director of Marketing Carsten Cramer, adding: "That is not our philosophy. We want to get to know the country and its people. We are overwhelmed by the reaction in Japan and now in Singapore." (pf/br)

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