Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s plans to build the ‘Wembley of the North’ have been touted for some time. He has also made it no secret that he may seek public funds to help achieve his dream.
The new co-owner of Manchester United has an objective for the club to have a world-leading, iconic venue to rival Wembley’s 90,000-capacity.
According to a new report from The Times, the government is likely to reject any approach by Sir Jim Ratcliffe for public money to help fund a national stadium for the north that would be a new home for United.
The suggestion has led to criticism from two former sports ministers.
Ratcliffe has yet to approach ministers and a government source said that public investment could only be considered for regeneration projects around the area. Not for the stadium itself.
“When you have historic football clubs elsewhere in the pyramid on the brink of collapse, it is an astonishing suggestion that taxpayers’ money could be spent on one of the richest football clubs in the world because of the underinvestment in its stadium by its billionaire owners,” Tracey Crouch, the former Conservative sports minister, told The Times.
If Ratcliffe hasn’t held talks with the government over aid for a new stadium, it may be telling that they have been quick to deny the prospect of it ever happening.
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