UK: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Manchester City hold parade to celebrate their FA Cup victory over Stoke City

Record ID: 449563

  • Title: UK: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Manchester City hold parade to celebrate their FA Cup victory over Stoke City
  • Date: 24th May 2011
  • Summary: MANCHESTER, UK (MAY 23, 2011) (REUTERS) ***CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** PULL FOCUS OF FA CUP WINNERS BANNER WIDE SHOT OF FANS WAVING FLAGS CARLOS TEVEZ AND YAYA TOURE WALKING OUT OF THE TOWN HALL WITH THE CUP MID SHOT OF VINCENT KOMPANY ON THE BUS (SOUNDBITE) (English) VINCENT KOMPANY, MANCHESTER CITY DEFENDER, SAYING: "I am really proud, it is a big achievement. I said before it is not just about winning the FA Cup and coming third, it is about the fact that it has not happened for 35 years at this club and it shows a sign of intent. I am very happy about it and lets hope this is the first of many." WIDE SHOT OF PLAYERS ON THE BUS PULL FOCUS FROM FLAG TO PABLO ZABALETA PAN UP FROM THE BUS SIGN TO THE PLAYERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) VINCENT KOMPANY, MANCHESTER CITY DEFENDER, SAYING: "We knew it was going to be special to bring back a trophy home, it was going to be special, we have a feeling now that we have given something back to the fans. It has only been a couple of days since the end of the season, but we are already thinking of the future and things to come, and we have proven we are serious about what we are doing." WIDE SHOT OF FANS WAVING FLAGS MID SHOT OF NIGEL DE JONG TAKING A PHOTO FROM THE BUS WIDE SHOT OF THE BUS AND THE FANS (SOUNDBITE) (English) VINCENT KOMPANY, MANCHESTER CITY DEFENDER, SAYING: "We had a good season but the reality is the we did not finish champions so there is still a little gap between first place and second or third place. We will do anything we can to close that gap and maybe overtake, and maybe if the club decides to buy one or two more players then that would make sense just to make the team stronger, but I have the feeling this team will be stronger anyway regardless of who comes in." MID SHOT OF 'BLUE MOON RISING' ON THE SIDE OF THE BUS PAN UP OF A YOUNG FAN TO A FLAG MID SHOT OF THE PLAYERS ON THE BUS TRAVELING PAST (SOUNDBITE) (English) VINCENT KOMPANY, MANCHESTER CITY DEFENDER, SAYING: "I can see us progress, this team is all about progression and I think that next season will be a little bit better than this one, and if you look at it this way then the gap is going to be automatically smaller, and I believe that hopefully at some stage we will be lifting the Premier League cup". TEVEZ HOLDING UP THE CUP WIDE SHOT OF THE BUS LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 8th June 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAEKHLP5ZLNHKPZ2S1QSDEUV0FH
  • Story Text: Thousands of people lined the streets on Monday (May 23) as Manchester City held a parade to celebrate their FA Cup win.
    Yaya Toure's goal gave Roberto Mancini's side a deserved 1-0 victory over Stoke City at Wembley on May 14 to secure the club's first trophy in 35 years.
    Players, including captain Carlos Tevez, celebrated on board an open-topped bus which drove through the packed streets of Manchester after a presentation at the town hall.
    Speaking at a press conference during the event, defender Vincent Kompany said he hoped the FA Cup triumph was just the start for City.
    "I am really proud, it is a big achievement. I said before it is not just about winning the FA Cup and coming third, it is about the fact that it has not happened for 35 years at this club and it shows a sign of intent. I am very happy about it and lets hope this is the first of many," said the Belgian, who added that the players understood what the FA Cup triumph meant to the fans.
    "We knew it was going to be special to bring back a trophy home, it was going to be special, we have a feeling now that we have given something back to the fans. It has only been a couple of days since the end of the season, but we are already thinking of the future and things to come, and we have proven we are serious about what we are doing."
    It was a double celebration for City, who confirmed their automatic entry to the group stage of the Champions League by winning 2-0 at Bolton Wanderers on Sunday to finish third in the league table, the first tangible reward for Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Al Nahyan, who bought the club in 2008 and has spent around 300 million pounds on transfers alone.
    With arch-rivals Manchester United winning their 19th league championship, Kompany is aware that there is still work to be done to overtake Alex Ferguson's side.
    "We had a good season but the reality is the we did not finish champions so there is still a little gap between first place and second or third place," he said.
    "We will do anything we can to close that gap and maybe overtake, and maybe if the club decides to buy one or two more players then that would make sense just to make the team stronger, but I have the feeling this team will be stronger anyway regardless of who comes in.
    "I can see us progress, this team is all about progression and I think that next season will be a little bit better than this one, and if you look at it this way then the gap is going to be automatically smaller, and I believe that hopefully at some stage we will be lifting the Premier League cup".
    After the reception the team paraded the trophy through the streets, finishing with a firework display at their Eastlands stadium.
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