UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - New Wembley Stadium officially opens with FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United

Record ID: 335292

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - New Wembley Stadium officially opens with FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United
  • Date: 20th May 2007
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 19, 2007) (REUTERS) FANS HEADING TO STADIUM
  • Embargoed: 4th June 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7MSAQJ2356H3T1XN52JT9GIPN
  • Story Text: Fans including the architect who designed the new Wembley stadium give their verdicts as the FA Cup final returns to its traditional London home.
    The new 90,000-all seater Wembley stadium, built at a cost of 800 million pounds ($1.58 billion), officially opened its doors on Saturday (May 19) for the first time when Manchester United met Chelsea in the FA Cup final for the second time in 13 years.
    A few matches have already been played at the enw stadium, but the FA Cup final is seen as its official inauguration.
    When the original Wembley opened for the 1923 FA Cup final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham, an estimated crowd of 250,000 swarmed to to see the match which went ahead only after the pitch was cleared by a policeman on a white horse.
    The one guarantee about Saturday's occasion is that security is more of an issue than it was in 1923.
    Manchester United captain Ryan Giggs is the one playing link between United's 4-0 win over Chelsea in 1994 and Saturday's match being staged in a glittering new stadium that bears little resemblance to the one that opened in April 1923 and staged its last match in October 2000.
    The "icing on the cake" of the new stadium, a statue of England's 1966 World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore, was unveiled last week.
    British architect Norman Foster, who designed the new stadium, was among the fans who arrived early at the new venue and he was not partisan about the outcome of the match.
    "For me it is a win-win. I was brought up in Manchester, brought up there and I live in Chelsea. So, I cannot lose in that sense. I am just going to enjoy the match," said Foster.
    The Twin Towers have been replaced by a 133-metre high arch that can be seen from vantage points all over London but a fan, supporting Chelsea, was concerned with the outside look of the new stadium .
    "I think that the arch is great but the glass is a bit... from outside the glass looks a bit like a shopping centre but we are not getting into that. But seriously it would hold the dream because when we win 3-0 today it will be perfect," he said.
    A woman cheering for Manchester United was more attracted by the landmark created by the arch.
    "It is brilliant and you can see it from so far away, so you know exactly where are you going."
    The pillars that blighted the views of thousands in the old stadium have vanished and every seat has an unobstructed view of the pitch.
    The last official match at the old Wembley was England's 1-0 defeat by Germany in a World Cup qualifier in October 2000. The last Cup final was in May of that year, when Chelsea beat Aston Villa 1-0 with Roberto Di Matteo scoring the goal.
    Since then England have played in a variety of grounds around the country while all domestic cup finals were held at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
    Wembley was due to host last year's FA Cup final but the rebuilding project was snagged by delays, soaring building costs and disputes.
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