In a development that’s set to stun the world of English football, it’s believed that tonight’s Champions League clash between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur could be sold out.
While eye-witness reports remain sketchy, observers in the Eastlands area of Manchester say there is a chance that there will be no empty seats for one of the biggest games of the season.
In what could be a memorable day for the club for reasons on the pitch, the scenes up in the stands should also give cause for celebration among the staff and ownership in attendance.
The club has struggled recently to fill the 55,000 seater stadium despite the home side rampant form in all competitions. The Sky Blues are on course for a historic quadruple haul of trophies – or quintuple if you ask Jose Mourinho, a proud winner of the Community Shield in years past.
That’s not proven enough of an attraction for locals though, and despite historic claims that the Citizens are the most popular club among Manchester residents the club has had to resort to an array of outreach programmes to get bums on seats in their state-of-the-art arena.
“Tonight could be a real achievement by the club,” one source in the local area told PPNews. “They’ve made real strides to build support in the local community. There’s been tickets given to local schools – for League Cup games of course – discounted tickets for families, and they’ve even dropped tickets from planes over the local area in an effort to get people into the Etihad.”
“It’s been easier to get a ticket for City than to get off your tits at the Hacienda,” one local joked.
Further inquiries suggest that, contrary to rumours circulating in the Greater Manchester area, the club’s owners had not yet resorted to importing supporters from impoverished nations around the world, seizing their passports and threatening them with expulsion if they do not turn up for games and cheer enthusiastically.
A spokesman said: “While this is accepted practice in the United Arab Emirates, this is no way to build a fan base for a football club – at least not until the UK throws off the shackles of EU law.”
Meanwhile, around the stadium excitement is growing. One member of staff has been charged with dusting sections of the stadium seating in preparation for tonight’s game.
“It’s just been so long since the seats were used – I’m not sure they’ve ever been, to be honest – we’d to clean them off, make sure they’ve not seized up or rusted, that kind of thing. It’s a great day for the club” they said.
Though it’s not all good news, as those in attendance could still vent their frustration at UEFA for the inconvenience of having to play a Champions League quarter-final. It has become a tradition to boo during the pre-match formalities before European games at the Etihad.
The chorus of fans disgruntled by the nuisance of the world’s premier club competition is expected to grow with the increased attendance.
The Rebound is Paddy Power’s weekly breaking news story that may not actually have happened or be real in any way.
PaddyPower.com has City at 5/2 for the Champions League