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Manchester gears up for "giant football party venue"

13/05/2008

Manchester will be at its busiest this Wednesday when it hosts the Uefa Cup Final at City of Manchester Stadium.

The council, which has been preparing so-called fan zones at three locations in the city centre, said Manchester will become a "giant football party venue" on May 14th.

Albert Square, Piccadilly Gardens and Cathedral Gardens will feature large screens showing the evening match between Rangers Football Club and Zenit St Petersburg. Entertainment will be provided throughout the day.

Councillor Pat Karney said: "The Uefa Cup Final day will be a very busy one for the city and I'm sure that Manchester people will give a fantastic welcome to fans of the Scottish and Russian teams.

"Our city is well used to friendly invasions of many thousands of visitors for major events including the Commonwealth Games in 2002."

Residents and workers are being warned that transport facilities and car parking spaces may be stretched. Some roads around Albert Square will be closed during the day.

As many as 100,000 supporters are expected to travel to Manchester to attend the game or watch it on the big screens and pubs.