Eyebrows raised as Manchester United skip tender to hire Foster for stadium
Manchester United are set to confirm Sir Norman Foster’s firm as architects of their planned £2bn, 100,000-seat stadium without running a formal tender process.
The absence of an open tender has caused surprise in the industry, given United are a listed company on the New York Stock Exchange, while Sir Jim Ratcliffe has also taken a rigorous approach to cost-cutting and achieving value in other areas of the business.
Ratcliffe has a strong personal relationship with Foster, whom he described as “the world’s greatest architect” in an interview earlier this week with Gary Neville, a member of the Old Trafford regeneration task force.
The 89-year-old Foster is also a Manchester United fan and was born in Stockport.
Foster + Partners is not a stadium specialist but has delivered major stadia projects in the past in conjunction with other architects, including the new Wembley and Lusail Stadium in Qatar, venue for the 2022 World Cup final.
Ironically, given Ratcliffe’s reputation for penny-pinching at Manchester United, Foster + Partners is known in the industry for charging high fees, particularly when Foster himself is involved in the project.
Foster + Partners was appointed as architect for the wider Old Trafford regeneration project last year. An announcement on the stadium architect is expected shortly.
Bournemouth opt for Vitality expansion
Bournemouth are planning to take the opposite approach to United by committing to rebuilding their Vitality Stadium rather than knocking it down and building a new one on an adjacent site.
Owner Bill Foley has given consideration to building a new stadium on the site of Bournemouth’s current training ground at Dean Court, which the club will leave for a new facility at Canford Marina next week, but a redevelopment of the Vitality is now the preferred option.
After conducting preliminary studies, Bournemouth are confident they can expand the ground from the current capacity of 11,000 to 24,000, in what is likely to be a gradual process.
The club will need to conduct some renovations this summer if Adoni Iraola’s side qualify for Europe as the Vitality does not meet all of Uefa’s stadium requirements, but do not expect it to be an issue.
Sweeney opponents set to start rebellion
Members of the Rugby Football Union can begin voting tomorrow on the motion of no confidence in chief executive Bill Sweeney that has been tabled ahead of this month’s Special General Meeting.
Postal voting opens a fortnight before the SGM at Twickenham on 27 March, a window that RFU officials are hoping will give them a strong indication of which way the ballot is likely to go.
The SGM was triggered by more than 150 clubs calling on Sweeney to resign following the revelation that he received a £358,000 bonus last year, despite the union posting losses of £37.9m, but with the RFU having more than 1,200 members that revolt is not necessarily indicative of the outcome.
Sweeney is determined to fight on despite the rebellion and has spent the last few weeks on a tour of the country visiting amateur clubs in an attempt to shore up support at grassroots level.
Interim RFU chair Bill Beaumont, who replaced Tom Ilube following his resignation at the height of the governance crisis in December, is understood to be backing Sweeney along with the rest of the RFU board.
FA leans on Home Nations for World Cup bid
The rest of the Home Nations will have a crucial role to play in the FA-led bid for the 2035 Women’s World Cup, which was announced last week.
The intention to bid was confirmed after Fifa released details of the tender process by inviting bids from Africa and North America for the 2031 World Cup, and Africa and Europe for the tournament four years later. After withdrawing from the 2027 process, which was awarded to Brazil, the United States are expected to be given 2031 unopposed.
The 2035 tender promises to be more competitive, with South Africa eager to stage another global event 25 years after hosting the men’s World Cup, and several possible bids from Europe. The Home Nations’ first battle will be to secure the endorsement of Uefa, which cannot be guaranteed.
The FA’s decision to oppose a change to Uefa’s statutes which would enable president Aleksander Ceferin to serve a longer term, with chief executive Mark Bullingham the lone dissenter at last year’s congress in Paris, has not been forgotten in Nyon.
By contrast, the Irish, Northern Irish, Welsh, and Scottish FAs endorsed the move and, given their relationships with Uefa, can be expected to conduct their share of the lobbying.
Northern Ireland will definitely host matches in 2035 if the bid is successful, despite the embarrassing removal of Casement Park as a venue for the men’s European Championship in 2028 after the government withdrew funding for a proposed redevelopment.
The technical stadium requirements for the Women’s World Cup are less demanding, so an expansion of Windsor Park to around 20,000 should satisfy Fifa’s bid committee.
ECB shuns outside voices for women’s review
The England and Wales Cricket Board’s review into England Women’s 16-0 Ashes series defeat has been an exclusively internal exercise.
Players and coaching staff have been asked to provide their observations on the disastrous tour to the ECB’s director of women’s cricket, Jonathan Finch, who has not consulted external figures.
Clare Connor, the ECB’s managing director of women’s cricket, and ECB board member Ebony Rainford-Brent will also have an input into the review, which will determine the futures of captain Heather Knight and coach Jon Lewis.