• FA Cup

City and Stoke prepare for final with hotel row

ESPNsoccernet staff
May 13, 2011
Tony Pulis is believed to be unhappy at losing out on The Grove © PA Photos
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Manchester City will take on Stoke City in the FA Cup final on Saturday and ESPN is the place to be for unrivalled coverage, starting with Breakfast at Wembley at 8am and commercial-free match coverage

Stoke and Manchester City have been caught up in a row over their hotel on the eve of the FA Cup final at Wembley, with the Potters forced to change their accommodation plans at the last minute.

The Grove Hotel, a five-star resort in Hertfordshire, had been used by both clubs ahead of their semi-finals and Stoke had reportedly made a provisional booking back in March (after they beat West Ham) should they reach the final.

However the Guardian report that, despite the fact Stoke received e-mail confirmation of around 50 rooms, the Potters discovered when they attended a planning meeting with the Football Association on April 20 that their place had been given to rivals Manchester City.

Stoke have now been booked into a golf resort on the outskirts of London and have refused to comment on the situation. However, a spokesperson for Manchester City said: "We were staying in the Grove on the Friday night before the semi-final. I understand we had also provisionally booked for the final in advance, and within an hour of the final whistle of the semi, we had booked the majority of the hotel out for the final."

A spokesperson for the hotel said both clubs had requested rooms ahead of the FA Cup final but that a contract had not been signed with Stoke.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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