City to stage final
05 Oct 2006 - 08:10:03
The City of Manchester Stadium has been named as the venue for the 2008 UEFA Cup final.
Manchester City's home, originally built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, beat off competition from venues in Hamburg, Istanbul and Ramat Gan to net the showpiece event.
The new Wembley Stadium fared less well at UEFA's Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday, being rejected as a venue for both the 2008 and 2009 Champions League finals.
The Luzhniki stadium in Moscow will host the 2008 final, with Rome's Stadio Olimpico staging the event the following year.
William Gaillard, UEFA's communications director, said: "We hope Wembley Stadium in London will be completed in time for it to bid for 2010 - and we will then seriously consider the venue for the UEFA Champions League final."
The committee awarded the 2009 UEFA Cup final to the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul.