MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson hopes to live long enough to witness the opening of Manchester United’s new stadium which will replace Old Trafford.
The 84-year-old legend admitted that he wondered if he would ever see the 100,000-capacity stadium open.
“I wonder if I’ll still be around to celebrate the opening.”
“I hope construction can begin soon because if it takes five years, I will be approaching 90 years old.
“However, I knew I would be at the event in some way, whether physically or as a memory,” he said in the book Games of My Life.
United had previously targeted a move to a new stadium in 2030, but that date has been cancelled and the club has not set a new date.
United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe proposed a new 100,000-seater stadium in 2024, with the design unveiled by Foster+Partners in March 2025.
United also bought land near Old Trafford for £63.5 million for the project.
Ferguson, who was appointed United manager in 1986 before retiring in 2013, won 13 Premier League titles and managed 724 matches at Old Trafford.
In honour of his services, the North Stand of Old Trafford was named the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand in 2011, before his statue was erected outside the stadium a year later.
LONDON: Thomas Tuchel has said Manchester City are the talk of the town in the England camp after the club was found guilty of several breaches of Premier League financial regulations.
He, however, stressed that the case would not influence his decision in selecting players for the match against Croatia, this Sunday.
The independent commission’s decision announced earlier this week has sparked a major shock in English football.
City, who have dominated the EPL for the past 15 years, face severe punishment including the possibility of being relegated from the top division.
Marc Guehi and Elliott Anderson are the two City players still in Tuchel’s squad for the UEFA Nations League match against Croatia in Rijeka after Nico O’Reilly was forced to withdraw through injury.
“We have a little break and a period between matches, and it’s a big topic,” Tuchel said in a press conference today.
“Of course the players are talking about it, so are the City players and we have spoken to them too, but briefly.
“They’re ready to go out and play, that’s what they’ve shown on the field and in camp, but of course it’s a big topic.”
City denies any wrongdoing and has appealed the decision.
However, if they fail to overturn the commission’s decision, City are likely to face at least a points deduction, which could affect their position in the Premier League.
Tuchel was asked whether the club’s players would still be considered for selection if they played in a lower division.
“There are always possibilities,” he said. “I will always try to choose the best team for the camp, for the matches and for the tournament. I will not exclude those who do not play in the top league of their country.
“So, we need to look at this on a case-by-case basis.”
England’s meeting with Croatia, which will take place behind closed doors, is the third of four Nations League matches in this international window.
The Three Lions lost 3-2 to world champions Spain at home last weekend, but bounced back to beat the Czech Republic 2-0 yesterday.
PRAGUE: Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane found the target again as England beat 10-man Czech Republic 2-0 early this morning to revive their Nations League campaign.
Thomas Tuchel’s team lost 3-2 to world champions Spain in an entertaining opening match at Wembley on Saturday, while the Czech Republic also lost to Croatia.
The hosts managed to contain England in the first half at Fortuna Arena despite playing a man down, but Gordon broke the deadlock just after the break before Kane gave England the lead.
“It was a well-deserved win. It was strange to receive a red card so early. It wasn’t good for the fans and it wasn’t the best for the team.
“It was a difficult situation but we got an important win and that’s the most important thing,” said Tuchel.
Tuchel made four changes to his starting line-up compared to last weekend’s game, including bringing on Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold for his first England start in almost two years.
England dominated possession early in the game, but the hosts threatened several times with counterattacks.
Morgan Rogers, who replaced Jude Bellingham, had his effort hit the post after a clever move in the penalty area in the 15th minute before Elliot Anderson and Bukayo Saka were also denied chances as the ball bounced in the penalty area.
The match changed in the 25th minute when Lyon midfielder Pavel Sulc was shown a red card for a hard tackle on Anderson.
He was initially only given a yellow card, but Turkiye referee Umut Meler changed the punishment to a red card after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.
The Czech Republic were then forced to defend completely as England continued to find space around the penalty area, but the visitors struggled to create any truly dangerous chances.
England captain Kane almost broke the deadlock as first-half injury time began, but goalkeeper Matej Kovar saved his curling shot.
England finally broke the deadlock early in the second half when a dynamic Gordon headed in Alexander-Arnold’s precise pass, with the ball going past Kovar and into the net.
“It’s always an honour and a joy to represent my country. It’s been a long wait, but I always believed I could play for England,” said Alexander-Arnold.
The goal was Gordon’s third in three games for England, including one in the World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina and another against Spain.
Defender Lewis Hall almost doubled England’s lead a few minutes later but his shot went narrowly wide, before Czech Republic captain Ladislav Krejci inadvertently blocked Hall’s cross and it hit his own crossbar.
Kane, who also scored against Spain, then gave England a more comfortable lead midway through the second half when he fired a powerful shot past Kovar after the ball fell to him in the penalty area.
LONDON: Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson has claimed that anything could happen, including the most drastic possibility of relegation from the Premier League (EPL), after the club was found guilty of breaching the league’s financial regulations.
The Premier League has accused the club of widespread financial ‘fraud’ throughout their period of continued success, with the independent panel proceedings ending in 2024.
Since then, there has been a frustrating wait for a decision, but Daily Mail Sport sources have revealed that clubs have been informed the panel has now reached a decision and there is a belief that the decision is in favour of the English top flight.
City are understood to have been found guilty of all but one of 115 charges of breaching rules relating to the Premier League’s financial regulations.
Borson, who was an advisor to Man City between 2002 and 2007, was asked by talkSPORT whether the most drastic option of relegation from the Premier League could be imposed as punishment following the decision.
“Anything can happen and things are going to be very chaotic right now, because this is going to drag on for weeks,” Borson said.
“It will be very difficult for City to say anything or control the impact of this situation and that too without being able to see what the decision entails.”
“We will almost certainly see the independent commission’s decision explained in detail soon, and it will give the public plenty of material to attack the individuals involved as well as the club.”
“Then we will enter the sentencing process, which will be conducted behind closed doors.”
“Man City have denied everything throughout this process, they have gone through a process that could have cost over £100 million between the two parties and they have been found to have breached almost everything.
“They are in very, very serious trouble.”
An appeal from Man City is considered inevitable as the club has consistently denied any wrongdoing since they were charged by the Premier League in February 2023.
A Manchester City spokesman said: “The Premier League process is ongoing, with a number of key matters still to be resolved and subject to strict confidentiality. As such, Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the club’s statement in February 2023.
“The club has respected due process for eight years based on the assumption that the Board and the management of the Premier League will act as an independent, impartial and fair regulatory body, free from influence from other parties.”
Borson claimed that Man City’s appeal was too slim to succeed and considered the club’s statement to show the arguments that could be used to overturn the decision.
“An appeal based on the facts is highly unlikely to succeed,” he said.
PARIS: France captain Kylian Mbappe did not take part in training on Wednesday after suffering flu-like symptoms, raising questions about his fitness for the team’s upcoming UEFA Nations League campaign, the French Football Federation (FFF) said.
The Real Madrid forward remained at the French training centre while the rest of Zinedine Zidane’s squad underwent the session.
The session was the second conducted by new France coach Zinedine Zidane who is preparing for his first match when France take on Turkiye in Kocaeli on Friday.
France are also scheduled to face Belgium at home and away, as well as hosting Italy throughout the international window.
Mbappe’s condition was an initial concern for Zidane when he began his job with the national team after replacing his former France teammate Didier Deschamps following the World Cup.