The crown jewel of Manchester is Old Trafford, but it has fallen into disrepair. Photo: Action Images/Jason Cairnduff
Even A quick glance at England's great sporting strongholds confirms that they are overwhelmingly concentrated in the South. London boasts national football and rugby stadiums, the world's most respected cricket and tennis grounds, not to mention the Olympic Park. What about Manchester? Its crowning glory is Old Trafford, a place so decrepit that it has come to be known less as the Theater of Dreams and more as a place where the roof leaks and where corporate guests are fed raw chicken.
Once upon a time, in the pre-levelling-up era, this imbalance might have been dismissed as just another by-product of the country's entrenched division between North and South. Today it is an anachronism, an insult to the way the axis of power in football has evolved. As it stands, there couldn't be a more vibrant environment in the country to watch or work on the game than Manchester. It has current triple-title winners and they're not even the most powerful club in town based on global reach. Yes, some parts have become «quite tired and neglected», according to United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but in terms of prestige this is an area paved with gold.
Ratcliffe plans to regenerate the area around Old Trafford. Photo: Getty Images/David Goddard
So Ratcliffe found an excuse to propose a plan far more ambitious than simply renovating Old Trafford or even building a new stadium from scratch. Instead, his ultimate vision is a «Wembley of the North», a shining beacon that could help regenerate the south of Manchester and create the conditions for hosting the FA Cup and Champions League finals. And why not? Rarely has the North West claimed such a monopoly on English football success. In total, Liverpool, United and City won 10 European Cup victories. London clubs? Just two.
You can see why Ratcliffe would benefit from making such a passionate case for this project. This has the potential to establish him not only as an incorrigible sports romantic, but also as a philanthropist with the best interests of the region at heart. This week he spoke lovingly to the BBC about Trafford Park being the cradle of the Industrial Revolution and its location next to the Manchester Ship Canal, «where coal came, cotton came.» Britain's richest man, who made his £30 billion fortune from chemicals, sees himself as the logical custodian of this history, rediscovering some of the prosperity of yesteryear thanks to Manchester's great 21st-century asset: football.
Manchester is one of England's great sporting strongholds. Photo: AFP/Paul Ellis
However, there is another side to this story. At issue is the unanswered question of how much Ratcliffe intends to fund this dream through his own award and how much he expects the nation to do so. His nice way of putting it is that there needs to be a “conversation” with the government on this issue. But is there? Ratcliffe is more than capable of providing the necessary money himself. He is also a tax exile, having officially changed his tax residence from Hampshire to Monaco in 2020, saving him an estimated £4 billion. In these circumstances, it is, to put it mildly, disappointing to hear him propose to share the burden of financing the next head of United with taxpayers.
Of course, this could be nothing more than a clever negotiating tactic by Ratcliffe to see if the government would bite. At first glance, this looks unfortunate. After all, we've already seen the situation with taxpayer-funded stadiums in Manchester, when the city council paid £33 million for a site suitable for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. More than 20 years later, City, despite acquiring the naming rights, still lease Etihad Stadium from the council. United, on the other hand, would retain full control of whatever shiny building Ratcliffe decided to build. It is at this point that the justification for his desire for public money, already fragile in light of his performance in Monte Carlo, begins to completely crumble.
However, the essence of Ratcliffe's master plan is commendable. He is absolutely right to point out that much of the talk about the Northern Powerhouse is hot air, given the government's recent decision to redirect money earmarked for the HS2 rail project to repair London's roads. He is right to highlight the absurdity of forcing fans in the North to trek to and from Wembley every time their clubs reach the FA Cup semi-finals. United, for all its unrivaled reputation, resides in a part of the country that has been systematically neglected.
However, Ratcliffe knew all this long before his 27.7 per cent stake in United was finally ratified by the Premier League. As a proud United fan and former Failsworth resident, he knew all about the historical lack of investment in the North and the disrepair into which Old Trafford had fallen. For him to now frame his revival as an endeavor worthy of government funding is as rich as it is for him. If he wants to create a great home for United, worthy of the club's legacy and the North's place at the heart of English football, then he deserves every support. In many ways this is a noble cause. But it should be financed exclusively from your own pocket.
Wiegman supports Ratcliffe's North Wembley plan 4028-aefb-707433fa7c07.html?direct=true&id=713a21d9-954d-4028-aefb-707433fa7c07″ class=»tmg-particle embed wrp-713a21d9-954d-4028-aefb-70 7433fa7c07″ title =»Tom Harry in Marb» Ella's data -business-type=»editorial» loading=»eager» scroll=»none» Frameborder=»0″ allow=»web-share» style=»width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position : static; display:block; padding: 0px;margin: 0px;»>
Sarina Wigman says her England team would 'love' to play at a new stadium in Manchester as she spoke positively of the Sir Jim Ractliffe Stadium move towards construction» northern stadium.»
The Lionesses head coach, speaking in Marbella on Thursday ahead of the friendly against Austria, said: “Wembley is special to us, Wembley is our home and we have very good memories there. But we travel and I really love the stadiums we play in and it's really nice to connect with the fans in the north and the fans in the south so they can come and watch us and we can connect with them.
“But of course it would be great to have another great stadium in and around Manchester and we would love to play there. At the same time, Wembley remains our special home.»
Bayern Munich and England midfielder Georgia Stanway echoed Wiegman's comments, adding: «Wembley is our home and we have many good memories of German But yeah, of course it would be great to have another stadium a little further north.» Stanway, originally from Cumbria, added: «I think my parents would appreciate it because it's a much shorter distance. ! But we are happy to play at any stadium. We love that we can actually move around the country and go to different places. And for me, the two stadiums we have great memories of are Wembley and Brighton. So yes, I will be happy to make more memories in other stadiums if it is allowed.»
The Lionesses will face Austria in a friendly on Friday on neutral ground in southern Spain, focusing their attention on Euro 2025 . the qualifying campaign for which will begin in April.
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