Source: Telegraph
Manchester City v Manchester United: Carling Cup semi-final in doubt due to snow
Senior City officials are in talks with Greater Manchester Police, the Manchester Safety Advisory Committee and the Football League due to the adverse weather affecting the City of Manchester Stadium and surrounding area. [LNB]With over six inches of snow falling on central Manchester overnight and this morning, City have already been forced to close the ticket office and club megastore due to the inability of staff to make their way in to work. [LNB] Related ArticlesBlackburn-Aston Villa postponedMancini keen on Patrick VieiraUnited flops face axe for CityBoycott: Owen should turn to feng shuiShay Given keen for revengeCity 'face tough task' at ScunthorpeAnd with ice lying beneath the snow, the car parks at Eastlands are currently unsafe for use. Walkways towards the stadium are also treacherous. [LNB]A further complication ahead of the United game, which is a 48,000 sell-out, is that the computerised turnstiles at Eastlands have frozen and the club have so far been unable to resolve the problem. [LNB]Although the playing surface at the stadium is free of snow and perfectly playable, safety issues outside the ground are the area causing most concern to the club and authorities. [LNB]With United due to be supported by almost 5,500 travelling fans, the fixture is already a potentially volatile encounter. [LNB]But with the hazardous conditions and the problems City face in terms of ensuring that stewards and catering staff can actually make their way to the stadium tomorrow, the game is understood to be in the balance. [LNB]With local weather forecasts suggesting that temperatures could fall to as low as minus 5 degrees tomorrow, the risk of the conditions deteriorating is another factor being considered by the club and authorities. [LNB]
