Fewer than 40% of people in the grassroots game are in favor of Wembley's sale.GETTY IMAGES
The FA drafted England Manager Gareth Southgate for a "last-ditched attempt" to push through the "troubled" £600M ($794.3M) sale of Wembley after discovering that fewer than 40% of people involved in the grassroots game are in favor of the deal ahead of a decisive vote, according to Tom Morgan of the London TELEGRAPH. Southgate was called upon to deliver an endorsement at a "hastily-arranged presentation" to a select group of FA Council members and county game execs at St. George's Park just two days before the 127-member body gathers on Thursday to "decide Wembley's fate." Southgate was "parachuted in" after a piece of FA research showed just 38% of the grassroots game supported the deal, "despite assurances that every penny of the offer from billionaire Shahid Khan would be spent on the amateur game." However, one senior FA Council member said that Khan's offer was in "serious risk of being torpedoed" on Thursday and warned FA CEO Martin Glenn to expect "fierce opposition" before the councilors vote on Oct. 24 (TELEGRAPH, 10/10).
'HEALTHY DISCUSSION': The BBC reported the FA Council had a "healthy discussion" about the proposed sale of Wembley Stadium. The body met on Thursday to hear a presentation from FA execs about why they back the sale. Among the issues discussed was ensuring there are protections in place "to ensure Wembley's status as the national stadium" (BBC, 10/11).
UPGRADES BILL: In London, Lawton & Lambert reported the FA warned that it faces a £72M ($95.3M) bill for upgrades to Wembley if it does not sell. In an "apparent last-ditch attempt to garner support" for the £600M sale, FA CFO Mark Burrows even claimed the organization would be better off "handing over" the stadium than retaining ownership. Burrows "spelled out the expected costs" during a presentation to county FA execs. With £2M ($2.6M) worth of work needed on the floodlights -- as well as improvements to the pitch, the roof, cabling and beer delivery systems -- the bill would be around £18M ($23.8M) this year (DAILY MAIL, 10/10).
