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City's Uefa Cup plans rocked by Bon Jovi concert
Daniel Taylor The Guardian,
Saturday May 17 2008
Manchester City face the prospect of having to start their Uefa Cup campaign next season at another stadium because of a Bon Jovi concert at their ground. The club are looking at alternative venues - with Huddersfield Town's Galpharm Stadium under consideration - amid concerns that the pitch at Eastlands will not be ready in time.
City discovered yesterday that they had edged out Fulham as England's Uefa Cup fair-play representatives and will feature in the first qualifying round of the competition on July 17. That is 25 days after a Bon Jovi concert at the City of Manchester Stadium and leaves the club in a race against time to re-lay and prepare the pitch. There has been no official announcement but City are sounding out other clubs to see where they can play the home leg. Manchester United will not be considered.
The club had initially believed there was plenty of time to prepare the pitch before the start of the season but at that stage they had little idea that England would be allowed an extra place in the Uefa Cup. City did not even have the best disciplinary statistics in the Premier League but the five clubs with better records - Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, United, Arsenal and Everton - have already qualified for Europe.
"It's like the dream came true," City's manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, currently on tour with the team in Bangkok, said last night. "Our dream to play in Europe has been strong all season. At one point we thought we were almost sure to get there, at other points we've been almost out of it, but now this news is absolutely fantastic for the club, for the fans and for everyone.
"It is a step in the right direction because the target for this club in the future is to play in the Champions League. The Uefa Cup is a very good school to learn about European football. It is a confirmation that we are a good team but also a team that behaves well on the pitch."
Despite his outward happiness, Eriksson is under no illusions that he is unlikely to be around when the draw takes place on June 30. His position has not been discussed during his dealings in the Far East with City's owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, which have largely been restricted to some awkward photo-shoots and publicity events. However, Eriksson hopes to have a proper meeting with Thaksin after today's friendly against a Thailand All-Stars team.
City, meanwhile, are taking legal advice about reports that Thaksin had put the entire first-team squad up for sale. "There is absolutely no truth to this story or any of the allegations," said Thaksin.
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And put on that wig I bought you. No, no, no, no. The reddish-brown one.
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