Manchester United's home Premier League match against Arsenal turned into a 'water dance' when the cover of the East Stand at the Otford Stadium suddenly leaked. According to the Manchester Evening News, it was decided not to carry out the restoration work, taking into account the financial cost and new shareholder Ratcliffe's plans to rebuild the stadium.
For their part, United pointed out that the cover on the pitch was not leaking and that the system was overloaded with drainage. It was raining heavily at the time, causing a large amount of rainwater to overflow. A similar situation occurred in April 2019. The Manchester Evening News noted that the Red Devils management has long been discussing a project to update the stadium building, but it is estimated that it would cost millions of pounds. It would also take a long time for construction to take place, which would affect the stadium's operations, so the restoration plan has been put on hold.
Moreover, after the new shareholder Ratcliffe joined Manchester United, he plans to invest 2 billion (about HK$19.6 billion) to rebuild the Otford Stadium, not to mention the money spent on fixing the drainage system. Therefore, Manchester United fans must remember to bring a cover or even wear clothes when they enter the Otford Stadium in heavy rain.
After the Glasha family bought Manchester United in 2005, they only expanded the stadium in June 2006, with very few other improvement projects taking place the rest of the year. The failure of the Otford Stadium to become one of the stadiums for Euro 2028 is reportedly largely related to the age of the stadium's facilities.
