Post by Taxigirl on Jul 23, 2004 9:07:25 GMT
www.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,7-1144319,00.html
England have announced that they will play four of their five forthcoming World Cup qualifying games at Old Trafford - with St James' Park chosen to host the remaining fixture.
With Wembley still some way from being finished, England are still without a permanent home - but will be mainly based in Manchester for the coming year.
Old Trafford will play host to games against Wales, Northern Ireland, Austria and Poland whilst St James Park will host minnows Azerbaijan.
Several high-profile stadiums around England may feel hard done to by the The FA's decision, which they insist is based purely on the amount of fans that will be able to watch the games.
"This is the World Cup qualifying campaign and we wanted to make sure that the maximum number of fans had the opportunity to see the England side," explained a statement on the FA website.
"That is why we have chosen the two biggest club grounds in the country."
England have announced that they will play four of their five forthcoming World Cup qualifying games at Old Trafford - with St James' Park chosen to host the remaining fixture.
With Wembley still some way from being finished, England are still without a permanent home - but will be mainly based in Manchester for the coming year.
Old Trafford will play host to games against Wales, Northern Ireland, Austria and Poland whilst St James Park will host minnows Azerbaijan.
Several high-profile stadiums around England may feel hard done to by the The FA's decision, which they insist is based purely on the amount of fans that will be able to watch the games.
"This is the World Cup qualifying campaign and we wanted to make sure that the maximum number of fans had the opportunity to see the England side," explained a statement on the FA website.
"That is why we have chosen the two biggest club grounds in the country."