Wembley won’t change name
WEMBLEY will always be called Wembley was the promise yesterday of FA chairman Greg Clarke in a letter to the council members who are set to debate the sale of the national stadium next week.
He reassured members that current restrictions on naming rights, future resale and usage would remain in place with key FA events written in place where they do not clash with Jacksonville Jaguars NFL fi xtures.
“This is not a distress sell,” said Clarke, above. “We must consider whether this is an opportunity worth taking.”
There was uproar when news fi rst leaked that the FA were considering striking a £ 900million deal with Fulham owner Shahid Khan for the stadium which cost £ 757m to build in 2007, including £ 161m of public money.
The FA have subsequently canvassed 4,000 people on the subject and admit that more were against the move ( 30 per cent) than for it ( 23 per cent). But with many undecided, Clarke hopes that by clarifying uncertainties over the deal in an open letter to the council members, he can sway popular opinion in support of selling out and investing the bulk of the money in grassroots football.
“It’s important to remember that the FA did not own Wembley Stadium before 1999, so this is not a historic situation we are unwinding,” he wrote.
“We did not own it in 1966 or 1996.” FORMER Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic is suing the country’s football association and its president Kozo Tashima following his sacking two months before the World Cup fi nals.
Halilhodzic, 66, is suing Tashima directly, claiming he acted illegally last month because he did not consult the association board.
Halilhodzic was replaced by Akira Nishino despite guiding Japan to Russia. They are in Group H with Colombia, Senegal and Poland. left England with a mountain to climb with the scoreline 2- 2 at the time. Michael Owen had scored a wonder goal and even though Glenn Hoddle’s team were the better side after Beckham’s red, they went out on penalties.
Perhaps it was not until his stunning late free- kick against Greece in World Cup 2002 qualifying that Mr Posh Spice was fi nally forgiven on the international stage.