Wigan rugby league club have agreed to a request from the football club’s chairman, Dave Whelan, to put back their home Challenge Cup tie against Whitehaven from the Friday night before the Wigan Ath v Man Utd match to the Monday after it, to avoid any further criticism of the playing surface for such a significant game. “The last thing we want is a worldwide TV audience with the pitch having suffered from heavy rain, and Wigan rugby league club having played a game on there a couple of days prior to the football match,” said Ian Lenagan “We have been wrongly blamed for the poor state of the JJB Stadium pitch and I don’t want Wigan’s name, and rugby league’s name, to attract wrongful criticism.”
Whelan was keen to stress that rugby league had not contributed to the condition of a surface that Arsène Wenger described as “a disaster” after his Arsenal team drew 0-0 there in March. “It is disrespectful to the fans who pay money to watch football on that,” said Wenger. “The only excuse is if they have a rugby team that also plays on the pitch, unless the groundsman is sick.”
Well it sounds like preferential treatment that will aid the passing game of Man Utd, for the fixture which will contribute to the destiny of the title.
