All Up to You!

Man City's City Stadium stood in the eastern suburbs of Manchester.

When it was first designed, the stadium had been intended to serve as the main venue for the Olympics. After Manchester's bid to host the Olympics failed, its purpose was changed, and it became the main venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

After the Games ended, it was transformed from a multipurpose stadium into a professional football stadium. The running track and temporary stands were removed, and permanent stands were built in their place, sparking considerable controversy at the time.

In 2003, Man City moved from Maine Road to City Stadium, with their first match there being a friendly against Barcelona.

However, because Man City had signed a long-term lease with the Manchester city government, ownership of the stadium still belonged to the government. As a result, it was extremely inconvenient for Man City to operate there.

Could anyone imagine a Man City home ground without even a fan Shop?

This was not just Man City's problem. Most stadiums in Serie A were municipal facilities, and they faced the same issue. Juventus had therefore taken a different route, using an indirect approach to build a new stadium and, in doing so, opening up a new path.

Compared with the Italian government, the Manchester city government was more supportive of football clubs.

After acquiring Man City in 2008, Soriano had been communicating with the Manchester city government all along, including proposing a series of ambitious plans. At last, those plans were approved in March 2010.

Man City had put forward a massive one-billion-pound plan. It would not only expand City Stadium's capacity from its current forty-five thousand seats to sixty thousand, but also build the world's most advanced training base and sports medical center in the southeast of the stadium.