Man Utd Pulls Pitch From Rwc Venue List
The 2015 Rugby World Cup, to be held in England and Wales, has been dealt a major blow after Manchester United pulled out of the running to host matches at Old Trafford over concerns about scheduling and pitch damage.
Rugby World Cup Limited, who need to sell 2.9 million tickets in order to meet the £80 million guarantee it made to the International Rugby Board before being awarded the tournament, will now have to do without the 75,000 seater venue, with Manchester City’s 47,800-seater Etihad Stadium expected to replace it on the stadium shortlist.
Old Trafford would have been a favourite to stage games during the competition but United have requested that they be withdrawn because of their commitments to hosting rugby league.
United, who will host two rugby league matches this winter, are already contracted to stage Super League Grand Finals and reportedly believe that rugby union would exert more strain on the pitch compared with the other code.
The Barclays Premier League leader’s venue will also host the final of the upcoming Rugby League World Cup 2013, also set to hosted in England and Wales.
The Rugby World Cup will take place in September and October 2015 and United would be competing in the group stages of the Champions League at that time of the season.
According to media reports, City are willing to fill the void left by their neighbours, but Rugby World Cup Limited will have to deal with losing seats in the Manchester switch.
A final announcement is now expected to be made this month, when the Etihad Stadium and the Olympic Stadium should be confirmed as World Cup venues.
