Safety Concerns Raise Doubts Over Cardiff Fixture

Doubts were today being raised over whether Bristol City's fixture against Cardiff City at the imaginatively named 'Cardiff City Stadium' will go ahead this Sunday, following concerns over the safety of the new stadium.

Speaking exclusively to This Be Brizzle, council safety officer, Dai Cast-Toy told us, "We've had building inspectors in Cardiff all week, looking at the structure of the new stadium, following a number of complaints from visiting Scunthorpe fans last week."

He went on, "I don't want to be too drawn on the specific nature of our investigaions, but there are concerns that some of the structural walls have been built with Lego, rather than the Sticklebricks we would recommend in a structure of this quality."

This Be Brizzle has spoken to its own independent structural engineer about the potential consequences of using Lego instead of Sticklebricks, and he had this to say, "If Cardiff have used Lego in structural walls, then the whole lot will have to come down. Sticklebricks should always be used, as they offere a far greater surface area to spread the load, as well as offering a greater level of cohesion between the blocks."

He continued, "To be honest, most modern stadia these days are built using more robust materials, such as blocks, concrete and steel, but I guess when you owe £16m to Sam Hammam, you look to cut any corners you can. That said, there are basic structural guidleines, even when you're building a stadium that would look more at home in a child's bedroom."

A final decision on whether the fixture with Bristol City can go ahead should be made by the end of the week. And should the fixture be postponed over safety concerns, the Football League is likely to impose a points deduction on the Cardiff club, which will be overturned by the Welsh FA five days later.