Manchester City have been mocked by rival fans after the news that they are looking to increase the Etihad Stadium’s capacity to around 60,000.
With the plan to add at least 5,000 extra seats to their home ground, it will see the Etihad become the Premier League’s third biggest stadium and it will also see the stadium qualify to host a Champions League final in the future.
Currently, City’s home ground has a capacity of over 55,000. The club have been granted planning permission to add more to their ground since they added an extra tier on the South Stand back in 2015.
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According to the Daily Mail, the project has now gone up a few places in City’s to do list.
It has been reported that the club are also planning to add a hotel to the site. However, there is currently no set time frame regarding the completion of the project. In addition, the construction of the Co Op Live Arena next door means City will have to wait until at least December of 2023.
In terms of ways to increase the capacity, it has been suggested that joining the two ends behind the goals and combining tiers in the stadium would allow space to add at least 5,000 seats.
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Fans have reacted to the news by mocking City as they have often been made fun of for their failure to sell out their tickets.
One fan said: “They can’t fill the stadium they have now.”
Another added: “Tell them to have fans first. Quarter of the stadium is empty on every game.”
The champions of England are also looking to add more corporate facilities around the stadium and they are believed to be working out how to best tackle this issue.
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In recent years, City’s statue in world football has been rising, however, their stadium’s capacity is still less than Manchester United’s Old Trafford and Liverpool’s Anfield, which is set to see its capacity increased to around 60,000 with work already underway on the Anfield Road end.
On the pitch, City have had another decent start to their season. New signing Erling Haaland has hit the ground running straight away after his summer move from Borussia Dortmund.
On Wednesday night, Haaland scored a wonderful acrobatic goal to ensure City maintain their 100% record in the Champions League, with a 2-1 win over Dortmund.
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After the match, Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the Norway super star.
He said: “The people who know me maybe know the influence Johan Cruyff had on my life as a person, as an educator, as a mentor, as a coach and everything.
“Years ago Johan Cruyff scored an incredible goal in Camp Nou for Barcelona against Atlético Madrid similar to Haaland. The moment Erling scored I thought: ‘Johan Cruyff’. It was quite, quite similar. It was an incredible assist by João and the finishing from Erling was exceptional.”
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester City, Premier League, Champions League