Off the wire
• S.Korea's industrial output falls for two months  • Argentina issues arrest warrant for businessmen involved in FIFA scandal  • Day 5 Roundup: Scaries for Serena, Murray, end of road for Lu, Wozniacki  • Japan's unemployment rate stands at 3.3 pct in April  • Brazil launches its own football graft probe  • Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, May 29  • Panama supports change in FIFA presidency  • Argentinian FA backs investigation for alleged corruption in FIFA  • Melbourne to relieve commuter pressure by rolling out locally-made, double-decker bus fleet  • Backgrounder: New faces in upcoming Finnish gov't  
You are here: 　 Home

Benfica to take on fan-owned rebel team FC United

Xinhua, May 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

They have become the biggest 'little' club in English football, launched by a group of fans angered by the takeover of Manchester United by the U.S. based Glazer family.

FC United will Friday (May 29) earn their place on the sporting map with a showpiece match against the giants of football in Portugal, the mighty Benfica.

The game has been organised to mark the official opening of FC United's new 4,400 capacity stadium. Named Broadhurst Park, the ground is in a suburb of Manchester and has been built at a cost of 10 million U.S.dollars, with most of the money to pay for the project coming from the 4,000-strong army of fans. The balance was raised with loans and grants.

The sell-out game will also be a celebration of FC United's end-of-season promotion to the National League North, which places them within just two leagues below the professional English Football League.

It has taken just 10 years for the club climb the bottom rungs of English football, and if the progress continues it creates the prospect of FC United one day welcoming Manchester United to its rival stadium.

The traditional-style football ground includes a terrace behind one of the goals, created using a stand transported from the ground of another local club, Northwich Victoria.

The new FC United complex will also include two grass pitches for community use which will also be home to a local schoolboy club, Moston Juniors.

Daniel Thompson, Associate at FWP who designed the new ground, said: "Broadhurst Park is looking fantastic and will be a great home for FC United, as well as providing sporting facilities for the local community.

"It has been a real team effort to get to this stage and we're all looking forward to seeing the team and Benfica step out onto the pitch for what promises to be a great occasion for everyone involved in turning the vision into reality.

"The new ground is a real community asset for Moston and will enable FC United to continue its development as a community football club and continue its success on and off the field."

Owned and democratically run by the fans, the rebel club has attracted criticism from supporters of Manchester United. Even the legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson questioned the loyalty of fans who abandoned MUFC to form their own club. Endi