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Football stadiums
Following the branding of Eastlands as the Etihad stadium, Sir Bobby Charlton has insisted that there will be no naming deal at Old Trafford. The name of the ground is simply too important for Manchester United’s identity.
For a Premiership neutral, many of the big questions about the forthcoming season relate to Arsenal. It could be a make or break season for them and Arsene Wenger. I like the kind of football that Wenger provides, but at that level of football, it is also important to win trophies. Should Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League next month it will leave a gap of around £25m in their finances.
No final decisions have been taken by Fenway Sports Group about future stadium options for Liverpool. The review started last October is still going on. Liverpool City Council has given the club another three months to decide whether to take a 999-year lease on the Stanley Park site. However, the council wants a decision by late September and it looks increasingly likely that the club will decide to leave Anfield because of the prohibitive costs of re-developing there, ending John W.
West Ham United are taking legal action against Tottenham Hotspur and the Sunday Times over allegations surrounding the validity of the Olympic Stadium bidding process.
Rushden and Diamonds have appealed against their expulsion from the Blue Square Bet Premiership. Their potential Japanese investors are only interested if they retain their Conference status. However, it is difficult to see their appeal succeeding in which case Kettering will move into the Nene Park stadium at Irthlingborough, some eight miles from their current base at Rockingham Road.
FC United are working to overcome any opposition from ‘Nimbys’ opposed to their proposed new stadium in Moston. Residents in a neighbourhood are always uncertain about a new football stadium because of concern about the possible effect on house prices and parking problems. Certainly the local impact of the proposed 5,000 seater stadium would not be trivial.
Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur have been refused permission by the High Court for a judicial review of the decision to award use of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham after next year’s Olympic Games. The clubs are unhappy about Newham Council’s £40m loan to help finance the move. Needless to say, West Ham are delighted with the court’s decision.
This article is contributed by Tarik Ajanovic:
Although Bosnian football is not renowned for its financial potential, recent developments have shown that there is some interest from potential investors, mainly in the area of real estate. For the past few weeks, there have been several meetings between the board of FK Željezničar Sarajevo, the current winner of the Bosnian Cup and one of the biggest Bosnian clubs, and the Slovenian company “Energoplan“ which already has some experience with these kinds of investments.
I know that many football fans were delighted to see AFC Wimbledon win promotion to the Football League in a penalty shoot out yesterday. It’s been a remarkable story and a great victory for fan power. However, I do feel sorry for Luton Town who have also been victims of the football authorities. They don’t deserve to be playing in the Conference and they are only doing so because of some harsh treatment.
West Ham are insisting that their move to the Olympic Stadium will go ahead despite the club’s relegation. A spokesman said, ‘We remain totally committed to it. Our target is to move there in three football seasons’ time and we would hope to the return to the Premier League as soon as possible. Our bid was modelled on Premier League, Championship and different scenarios – that has been the case from day one.’