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      in Soccer

      Inside Premier League star’s new £4.8million mansion with huge swimming pool, high-tech CCTV and ‘castle’ in the garden

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      CHELSEA star Carney Chukwuemeka has snapped up a £4.8million mansion complete a huge swimming pool and high-tech CCTV.The youngster’s luxury six-bedroom pad comes with a leisure complex including a 31x14ft swimming pool, jacuzzi, gym and triple garage.
      Carney Chukwuemeka joined Chelsea two years agoCredit: Alamy
      The Prem star has bought a new £4.8million mansionCredit: www.rightmove.co.uk
      The huge mansion has a grand reception areaCredit: www.rightmove.co.uk
      It also boasts a massive swimming poolCredit: www.rightmove.co.uk
      It has a grand entrance hall, a galleried landing, seven bathrooms, five reception rooms, family room, drawing room, breakfast room, study and office.
      The 9,393 sq.ft stately pile also boasts a media and games room, bar, party terrace, outdoor BBQ kitchen.
      And it even has a children’s climbing frame and castle to boot.
      In a sales brochure, estate agents gushed: “The property is finished to a very high standard and has a range of features including underfloor heating, a programmable sound system throughout and a sophisticated CCTV security system.
      Read More in Football
      “The grand galleried reception hall leads to the principal reception rooms, all of which ate the rear have French windows onto the entertaining terrace and gardens beyond, while the family room has superb full-height concertina doors.
      “The magnificent principal bedroom suite has two dressing rooms, a secondary bathroom/sitting room and French windows to a roof terrace overlooking the gardens.”
      Chelsea signed Chukwuemeka, 20, from Aston Villa on a six-year contract in a deal believed to be worth £20million, two years ago.
      The midfielder missed Saturday’s game against Manchester City with a twisted ankle after previously being sidelined with a knee injury.
      Most read in Football
      Chelsea are still languishing in 10th place in the Premier League table, 14 points adrift of the top four.
      Land Registry records show that he paid £4.8million for his Surrey home which had a guide price of £5.5million.
      But a housing developer has now applied for planning permission to build three homes on a nearby plot of land, which Chukwuemeka has objected to.
      In a letter to planners, he wrote: “Me and my family are new in the estate and this is maybe planning application number four we have received since being in the estate.

      “The estate will continue to increase in properties but the infrastructure remains the same.
      “I don’t think this is a good idea building more houses on a plot of land that originally had just one house on it. Not in support because of the number of new properties to be built there.”
      A chandelier gleams in one of the many fancy roomsCredit: www.rightmove.co.uk
      Carney Chukwuemeka prior to the FA Cup Fourth Round match against Aston VillaCredit: Getty More

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      in Soccer

      Premier League star’s shock after gang take over home he owns & turn it into cannabis factory with hundreds of plants

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      A CRIMINAL gang took over a Premier League star’s home and forced his tenant to let them grow cannabis.The cuckoo-plot crooks left the female occupant surrounded by hundreds of plants.
      A criminal gang took over a Premier League star’s home and forced his tenant to let them grow cannabisCredit: Getty
      The cuckoo-plot crooks left the female occupant surrounded by hundreds of plantsCredit: Getty
      But when police raided the home, the player had to prove his innocence to avoid charges.
      Police also released the tenant without charge after deciding she was set up by the gang.
      A source told The Sun: “This player owns the house in the North West as part of a buy-to-let empire.
      “Another family member manages the properties but they couldn’t believe it when cops found a large-scale cannabis farm.
      Read More on Football
      “The plants were taken away and destroyed and the player had to show paperwork to prove that while he was the owner of the property, he had someone else living in it.”
      Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, production and possession of cannabis with the intent to supply is a criminal offence that can result in up to 14 years in jail.
      Landlords who fail to report suspicions of illegal activity can be liable and face the same penalty.
      Rental income could also be seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
      Most read in Football
      The number of cannabis farms operating in homes is growing.
      In June, more than 1,000 were raided, with plants worth £130million seized and 1,000 suspects arrested.
      Sham estate agents was a front for brazen drug lord who raked in £11m a YEAR
      Single plants are often attributed a value of £840 in criminal trials.
      The National Police Chiefs’ Council has said: “Organised networks involved in cannabis production are also directly linked to other serious criminality such as Class A drug importation, slavery, violence and exploitation.” More

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      in Motorsport

      Lewis Hamilton ‘ran me over’ in go kart aged 7 – neighbours love him but one of his remarks went down like lead balloon

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      FORMER neighbours of Sir Lewis Hamilton have fondly remembered his time in their town but said one of his remarks went down “like a lead balloon”.Locals said they knew the Formula One ace was destined for greatness when he hurtled round their council estate on a go-kart at the age of seven.
      Lewis Hamilton’s first home in StevenageCredit: Andrew Styczynski
      Trevor Lugmayer pointing to where a Blue Plaque use to hang saying ‘Lewis Hamilton Racing Driver lived here 1997-2001’Credit: Andrew Styczynski
      Trevor has bought the house next door where Hamilton’s mother Carmen livedCredit: Andrew Styczynski
      Lewis Hamilton is joining Ferrari from next yearCredit: Alamy
      And the local postman revealed exclusively how Lewis had his first crash, when he ran slap-bang into his legs as he delivered mail in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.
      “I shouted ‘Hey, look out, you little bugger’,” said the postie, who asked not to be named. 
      “Then he whacked into me, going like the clappers on his little cart.
      “But Lewis did say ‘sorry’. He was a lovely lad and his family were very nice people too. I often used to chat to his dad.
      Read More in F1
      “I’m not at all surprised he ended up as world champion.
      “And there’s not many postmen can say they were once run over by Lewis Hamilton!”
      Former engineer Peter Fuller, 80, who lived just down the road from the Hamilton family, told how he would often “straighten out” Lewis’s go-kart after he’d had “a bump”.
      “He used to play with my kids,” said Peter.
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      “He could be a bit mischievous, but he was a nice lad. Everybody liked him.
      “I’m not at all surprised he became the world champion – even as a kid he was very competitive and never frightened to have a go.”
      Shopworker Tia Brown, 25, whose parents moved into the Hamilton family’s old house after they left, told how he occasionally popped back to look at his childhood home.
      “Once he came round on my birthday and brought me some cake,” she said.
      “Another time when I was in secondary school he visited with his girlfriend.
      “I think Lewis is great. Despite his wealth, he is a really lovely down-to-earth lad.”
      ‘LOVELY LAD’
      The house in Stevenage, where the youngster started racing model cars and go-karts, has since changed hands several times.
      When the Hamilton family left the home, they moved into two detached houses just a couple of miles away.
      Lewis lived in one with his father and stepmother, while his mum lived in the one next door.
      Both are reckoned to be worth well over a million pounds.
      Lewis Hamilton, 39, recently signed a £100million mega deal to join Ferrari in a switch that has shocked F1.
      The seven-time world champion has agreed to drive for F1’s most famous team in 2025 and 2026.
      But the multi-millionaire upset many locals a few years ago during the BBC Sports Personality of the Year contest when he slagged off Stevenage.
      He told host Gabby Logan: “It really was a dream for us all as a family to do something different;  for us to get out of the slums.”
      The then leader of Stevenage Council described his comment as “disappointing” and said local people felt “very offended”.
      Kerry Gray lives near to Lewis Hamilton’s first homeCredit: Andrew Styczynski
      Peter Fuller used to fix Hamilton’s broken go kartsCredit: Andrew Styczynski
      Hamilton’s former home down a leafy Hertfordshire laneCredit: Andrew Styczynski
      Retired businessman Trevor Lugmayer and his wife Valerie now live in one, while their daughter Sherry and her family are next door.
      “This is certainly no slum,” said grandfather Trevor, 78, who was once a professional DJ.
      “I don’t think Lewis could have been serious when he made that remark.
      “On the contrary, it’s an extremely desirable area. One house down the road sold the other year for more than a million.
      “And at one time there was a covenant which meant the houses could only be sold to professional people like doctors, lawyers and accountants.”
      There used to be a blue and white plaque on the side of Trevor’s house saying that Lewis Hamilton once lived there.
      But light-fingered souvenir-hunters unscrewed it in the middle of the night .
      Trevor added: “We still get fans coming round from time to time. But they’re not much of a problem
      “Lewis’s brother also pops back occasionally in his yellow Lamborghini car.
      “But he doesn’t hang about afterwards – when he’s ready to go, he just puts his foot down and ‘whoosh’ his car has vanished.”
      Once this Formula One season is over, six-times world champion Hamilton plans to leave his Mercedes team and join rivals Ferrari in a multi-million pound deal.
      “Who can blame him for that?” asked Mr Fuller. 
      “Who wouldn’t switch teams with that sort of money being offered?
      “His slum remark the other year did go down like a lead balloon but if was off-the-cuff  and I don’t think he meant it the way it came across.
      “Although compared to where he now lives in Monaco, virtually anywhere else in the world would be considered a slum!”
      WHO COULD REPLACE HAMILTON AT MERCEDES?Mercedes will have a vacant seat for 2025.
      Here, SunSport’s F1 correspondent Ben Hunt looks at FIVE potential candidates who could replace him and partner George Russell in the Silver Arrows.
      Oscar Piastri – McLaren have sewn up Lando Norris to a new long-term contract that should (in theory) put him out of Mercedes’ reach. However, they are yet to tie down his teammate Piastri, 22. The Aussie has an excellent record and won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles before spending a year on the sidelines with Alpine and getting his chance in F1 with McLaren. He impressed on his debut season last year and has the potential to be a world champion.
      Daniel Ricciardo – The experienced driver’s future remains in doubt as he bides his time at Red Bull’s B-team. Ricciardo would be low-hassle and offer some stability but by that time he would be 35. It seems unlikely that they would opt for him at this point in his career, but if he has a good season this year, he could come into the reckoning.
      Kimi Antonelli – You may not have heard of the Italian, but he is mustard. Still only 17, he has won at all the junior categories and has been part of the Mercedes young driver programme since 2019. This season he has been promoted from F4 to F2, where he has been tipped to shine. A good debut season in F2 could sway Mercedes into taking a risk on him for 2025. Antonelli and his family are close to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
      Mick Schumacher – Wolff has always been so incredibly supportive of Schumacher and spoken highly of him, that you’d at least expect him to come into consideration. He knows the team from his role as reserve driver and consequently would get up to speed. But speed is also the problem. He was shocking at Haas and if he really was THAT good, he’d still be driving in F1.
      Alex Albon – A more-sensible choice would be the London-born Albon. A great guy who is also very quick. He has a fantastic relationship with Russell and would be the low-maintenance quick partnership similar to Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas that swept to successive titles. Albon would take little convincing to join from Williams and Mercedes would not need to pay him half of the £50million they were dishing out to Hamilton.

      Grandmother Kerry Gray, 51, who lives a couple of doors away, moved into the street after the Hamilton family had left.
      But she said: “No way is this a slum. I came here from Harlow and it’s much better than there. I love Stevenage and we have some really good neighbours.”
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      Another neighbour Enrique Camilleri, a 20-year-old support worker, said: “I think Lewis was exaggerating to call this a slum. I really like living here, there’s never any trouble.”
      Lewis Hamilton’s reps have been contacted for comment.
      The seven-time Drivers Championship winner will join Ferrari in 2025 More

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      in Soccer

      English club agrees to sell TWO plots of land on site of iconic stadium with 100 houses set to be built

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      LAND next to the iconic home of a Premier League club is up for sale.Two corner plots on Shoreham Street, which runs alongside Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane stadium, have been given approval for 100 homes to be built on them.
      Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane is set for some major changes around it
      Sheffield United are selling two plots of land on their Bramall Lane site which will become houses
      The green light has been given for a four-storey block of 52 studio apartments to be built on an area known as Cutler’s Corner.
      Another 45 apartments are set to go above a new Sheffield United shop on the 0.4 acre Boundary Corner site, where Shoreham Street meets Cherry Street.
      Hilco Global estate agency are marketing it and say that the price is available on application.
      Cutlers Corner is currently used for by Blades supporters leaving the stadium while Boundary Corner is used as additional car parking for the stadium.
      READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
      The plans for 52 studio apartments on Cutlers Corner were approved in 2013 with the sales brochure saying that, in 2017, Sheffield Council had confirmed that sufficient work was done on the site to implement the permission.
      That meant that development had officially commenced.
      And the plans for a four-storey building with the 45 apartments above a new shop at the Boundary Corner site also got the go-ahead in 2017.
      However, The Star says that work there is “yet to begin it is understood planning permission for that site has elapsed”.
      Most read in Football
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      A press release in March 2020 from the Scarborough Group, whose chairman is ex-Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe, said that “discussions are ongoing with Sheffield City Council to increase the density of both these sites” on Boundary Corner and Cutlers Corner.
      And then it also stated that McCabe, who lost his ownership battle of the club with Prince Abdullah, had an agreement in principle for Sheffield United to acquire from Scarborough Group the freehold of Bramall Lane Stadium and the adjoining Copthorne Hotel.
      Sheff Utd captain Anel Ahmedhodzic slams ‘clearly biased’ TNT Sports and claims coverage against West Ham was ‘edited’
      On the pitch, Sheffield United secured an impressive 3-1 win at Luton on Saturday to bolster their faint Premier League survival hopes.
      But Chris Wilder’s men are still seven points from safety with just 14 games left to go. More

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      in Soccer

      Man Utd have no need to demolish Old Trafford, my house had a leaky roof but that didn’t make it unfit for purpose

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      IT TOOK four companies and several thousand pounds before the leak in the roof of my front bedroom finally got fixed.In the end I was pointed in the direction of Moggsy — who I only  recognised previously from drinking bitter in the Royal Oak — as the answer to all my problems.
      Man Utd must focus on helping Erik ten Hag strengthen his squadCredit: Reuters
      No way should revamping or replacing Old Trafford top United’s prioritiesCredit: Rex
      And he was and it hasn’t leaked since. But at no point during this time did I feel the house wasn’t fit for purpose or that it was time  to move to a new-build.
      You know, one of those that looks like the rest of the houses in the street and has a kitchen island.
      “Oh a kitchen island, we’ll be so happy here.”
      My house is more than 100 years old and it’s quirky —  it has a few doors that hang not in the way they were designed to and it can get very cold in the winter.
      READ MORE MAN UTD NEWS
      I completely misjudged the size of the new sofa, so it no longer looks as “open plan” as it did.
      But it’s my home, where my two children grew up and it holds a lot of memories.
      There was much the same feeling among Manchester United fans last week when it was revealed that minority stakeholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe (below) planned to move them to a brand new stadium.
      A “Wembley of the North”.
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      If you asked most United fans 99 per cent would, given the chance, rather see that money spent on another striker and midfielder than another  stadium. They don’t want to leave Old Trafford.
      It is still a great,  atmospheric football ground full of passion and most importantly full of memories.
      Fuming fan screams at Rasmus Hojlund after Man Utd star ‘rattles’ Villa and is confronted by Douglas Luiz
      Where “Dad used to go”, “where Grandad used to stand”, “where mum went to her first game” — where people fell in love with  football,  fell in love with Manchester United and want to take their kids to do the same thing.
      There is understandably a fear that on the field the club is in  danger of becoming just like any other club in the Premier League.
      If it moves to a new stadium it very much could.
      A distant relative from Spain was visiting a year ago and guess what was top of his list?
      He wanted to see Old Trafford and, while there was no match on, he was bowled over to get his wish.
      My son’s friend Matzua from Mexico City is a Chivas fan — Javier Hernandez’s old club to which he has just returned — and came to stay with us.
      Guess what his dream was? You would have thought he just found out he had won the EuroMillions as we approached the back of the Stretford End to park up.
      Off my son took him to see the Munich Tunnel — and the various statues around the ground —  before seeing United win. He was floating.
      Frontman Rasmus Hojlund and midfielder Scott McTominay sunk Aston Villa on Sunday but the Red Devils need to strengthen both those positionsCredit: Getty
      It was much the same when I went to Benfica’s original Stadium of Light — not the new one that looks like the Emirates. Like when I went to Atletico Madrid’s Vicente Calderon, not their  new ground that looks like Benfica’s Stadium of Light as well as the Emirates.
      Walking up from below ground out of the tunnel at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana in its original guise is something I’ll not forget.
      Now of course nostalgia should never rank higher than safety and, as we sadly know, some stadiums were death traps.
      Some needed seats bringing in, modernising or bulldozing altogether.
      But Old Trafford? There is much for Sir Jim to do but building a new stadium or training ground should not be top of the list.
      Believe me, there is nothing wrong with Carrington.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      I sit in a great spot in the press box at Old Trafford and — while there will be exceptions — mates elsewhere around the ground say it is fine, it just needs a bit of TLC here and there.
      Yes, there is a leaking roof but I can put United in touch with Moggsy. More

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      Ex-Premier League star in row with neighbours over ‘overbearing’ £1.2m home that’s been construction site for four years

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      AN EX-PREMIER League football star is in a row with neighbours over a new security wall.Canadian footballer Junior Hoilett is building a new home in the small village of Englefield Green in Surrey.
      Junior Hoilett playing for Reading in an FA Cup match against Manchester United in 2023Credit: Getty
      Englefield Green is a picturesque Surrey village where the footballer has made his homeCredit: Kevin Dunnett
      Hoilett is in a planning dispute with neighbours over his new security wall at his homeCredit: Kevin Dunnett
      Hoilett is a left winger who made 61 caps for Reading as well as 173 for Cardiff CityCredit: Reuters
      Hoilett, who last played for Vancouver Whitecaps, demolished the original £1.2million house and has been building a five-bedroom pad which boasts a gym, games room, playroom, and nursery.
      As part of the new build, the ex-Blackburn, Reading and QPR winger wants a wall and security gate to boost security at his home.
      But in a letter of objection, one neighbour wrote: “It hardly falls into the requirements of the village plan for soft, i.e, green frontages to property within the village.”
      “I would hope that some guidance could be given to the applicants in this respect an I object to the current proposal.”
      Read More on Premier league
      The dispute follows the burglaries of the homes of high-profile football stars, including Jack Grealish, Kurt Zouma, and Raheem Sterling.
      There has also been a recent string of burglaries in the Englefield Green area, neighbours say.
      Amanda Willis, the chair of the Englefield Green Village Residents Association, said the group wanted to see more greenery in the village in general.
      Willis said the group didn’t particularly like the wall and would have preferred something more “open” which would show the house off.
      Most read in Football
      But, the group had seen the plans and said the wall didn’t breach the neighbour plan and there was nothing they could do about it.
      One neighbour, who didn’t want to be named, said there had been a wall there beforehand.
      Is this the moment Jack Grealish is told of his family’s terror at £1m jewellery break-in raid at his mansion?
      “You don’t have to have greenery, you could have a picket fence, it just has to be within those parameters [of the village plan].”
      But, she said Hoilett’s new home was “out of keeping” with the area, in which most homes had a similar style.
      “It is what it is”.
      Another neighbour who didn’t want to be named said she didn’t like the new home either.
      “I would prefer to see what was there before. A nice detached house.
      “I have nothing against modern design, but something that is appropriate for the plot.”
      The new home features a basement with neighbours saying they could hear the piles being driven into the ground.
      The area is full of high hedges and walls which neighbours said muffled a lot of the construction noise over the past few years.
      Hoilett was granted permission to demolish and build the new home in 2019 and received further building permissions in 2020.
      In planning consultations, neighbours were worried that the three-story home would become “overbearing” to their homes.
      But, close neighbours said Hoilett had communicated well with them and informed them over his plans.
      They said the construction had been delayed because of Covid and Hoilett having to find a new contractor.
      Hoilett joined Blackburn in 2003 and came through their academy with former Man Utd star Phil Jones.
      He also played for QPR, Cardiff and Reading but quit The Royals last summer to join MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps in his homeland.
      Land Registry records show that he bought his Surrey pad for £1.2million in May, 2019.
      But it is now believed to be worth at least £3million after he knocked it down to make way for a two-storey new build, flanked by two single-storey wings.
      Officials at Runnymede Council are expected to make a decision on the plans next month.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      Hoilett made 81 appearances for the Blackburn Rovers, 112 for QPR, and 173 for Cardiff.
      Junior Hoilett did not want to comment.
      Hoilett, a Canadian, has played for his national side 62 timesCredit: Getty
      Hoilett paid for £1.2million in 2019 and received permission to demolish the house in the same yearCredit: Kevin Dunnett More

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      Inside Sir Alex Ferguson’s £3.5m home he shared with his ‘rock’ wife – as it’s still up for sale months after her death

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      SIR Alex Ferguson’s £3.5million home is still up for sale months after the death of his wife Cathy.The footie legend put his five-bedroom, 7,000 square foot property in Wilmslow, Cheshire, on the market after Lady Cathy Ferguson passed away in October aged 84.
      Sir Alex Ferguson’s luxurious 7.000 square foot property in Wilmslow, CheshireCredit: Andy Kelvin
      Sir Alex will sell the property following the death of his wife CathyCredit: Reuters
      The eye-catching home has a chandelier dangling in the hallwayCredit: LY Property, Cheshire
      The legend’s games roomCredit: LY Property, Cheshire
      But three months later the home, which comes complete with a stylish open plan kitchen and games room, is still up for sale. 
      Photos of the property also reveal a dazzling hallway chandelier, en-suite bathrooms and perfectly manicured lawns.
      The former Manchester United gaffer likely let off steam in his charming game room – decorated with art work, oak bookcases and a snooker table.
      The property also has a unique “Ferguson clan” tartan carpet adorned on the staircase.
      MORE ON SIR ALEX
      Sir Alex decided to sell the property following the death of his wife, the Mirror reported.
      He previously had said his wife, who he met in 1964, was a “bedrock” in his life.
      Fergie’s time living at the luxurious home wasn’t without its share of controversy.
      In 2020, Sir Alex lost a planning battle after he objected strongly to next door’s application to demolish a two-storey house and build a three-storey mansion.
      Most read in Football
      Fergie’s lawyers sent a five-page opposition letter to planners.
      He claimed his privacy would be affected by removal of trees which would also impact the character of the area.
      Sir Alex Ferguson SMASHES record for most expensive jumps horse ever as he spends £633,000 on Caldwell Potter
      He said the removal of trees was “likely to have a significant impact on the character of the area and the existing privacy standards afforded”.
      60 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
      Cathy first met Sir Alex, 81, in 1964 when he was just 23 years old and they married shortly after in 1966.
      In his autobiography, Sir Alex wrote: “I had the good fortune to meet a wonderful girl who has been my rock for almost 50 years.”
      The pair have three sons together – Mark, born in 1968, and twin boys football manager Darren and Jason, born in 1972 – and 12 grandchildren.
      Commenting on their home life, Alex once said: “Cathy is fantastic with the kids.
      “It’s a military operation with her. If any of them misbehave, they’re in the doghouse.”
      Cathy stood by Sir Alex throughout his playing career and journey to management.
      There were claims that Ferguson suffered discrimination at Rangers between 1967 to 1969 due to his wife’s Catholicism.
      However he made it clear in his autobiography that the club knew of her religion.
      She was by Sir Alex’s side as he rose to become one of the world’s best managers, starting at St Mirren in the 1970s, then to Aberdeen in the 1980s, where he won the Cup Winners’ Cup, and then to his legendary reign as manager of Manchester united from 1986 to 2013.
      When Sir Alex initially wanted to retire in 2002, Cathy famously convinced him to remain in charge of the Red Devils.
      “One, your health is good,” Sir Alex claimed Cathy said.
      “Two, I’m not having you in the house. And three, you’re too young anyway.”
      But she was unable persuade her husband to recommit to Old Trafford in 2011, before he finally retired in 2013.
      “I won’t be managing here any more than three years at the very, very most. Without question. I can assure you of that,” Ferguson said at the time.
      “You have to think about time for yourself. I think my wife deserves a bit of my time, too. The older you get, the more you feel guilty about it.
      “My wife, Cathy, was the one who talked me out of retiring last time but she wouldn’t do that now.”
      Ferguson went on to retire two years later saying his wife needed his support after her sister died.
      During his tenure, he won 38 major trophies, including 13 league titles and the Champions League twice.

      But planners decided to allow the scheme to ahead.
      It comes as Sir Alex’s world-record £633,000 jumps horse could miss Cheltenham Festival.

      He was part of a syndicate that splashed the eye-watering sum of cash on Caldwell Potter last month.
      A Grade 1-winning novice hurdler for former owners Caldwell Construction, the six-year-old is now on his way to Paul Nicholls.
      The Ditcheat trainer has been rocked by the death of 25-year-old yard worker and amateur jockey Keagan Kirkby at a Kent racecourse last Sunday.
      Sir Alex’s ensuite bedroomCredit: LY Property, Cheshire
      The ‘Ferguson clan’ tartan carpet staircaseCredit: LY Property, Cheshire
      The property boasts a plush bathroomCredit: LY Property, Cheshire
      The former Manchester United manager has decided to sell the propertyCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd More

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      ‘We hear goals before we see them,’ cry locals living next to Emirates Stadium as influx of fans block TV & phone signal

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      RESIDENTS who live next to a Premier League ground say they hear goals before seeing them as the influx of fans blocks their TV and phone signals.Arsenal moved to their 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium home in Holloway, London, from Highbury back in 2006.
      Arsenal superfan Dean Embley has lived opposite the Emirates Stadium for ten yearsCredit: Darren Fletcher
      The Gunners moved to their 60,000-seater home from Highbury back in 2006Credit: Darren Fletcher
      Jigar Tharkkar is a Liverpool fan who has lived with a view of the ground for two yearsCredit: Darren Fletcher
      And many locals say they’re having a ball – especially those who support the Gunners.
      But there are several drawbacks living next to the stadium including rowdy supporters, parking problems and terrible internet connection.
      Arsenal superfan Dean Embley, 47, has lived opposite the fifth-largest football stadium in England for ten years.
      He told The Sun: “On matchday we love it. There is a good sense of community and we get to meet loads of people coming through.
      Read more Sports News
      “I’m a huge Arsenal fan which helps. It’s just a coincidence that we live here though.
      “We used to live down the road at the away end. Sometimes there was fighting and we once had some problems with Chelsea fans.
      “The kids used to stick their heads out the window and gesticulate at the away fans. It’s all banter though I guess.”
      The builder, originally from Hackney, continued: “However there seems to be a signal block on matchday.
      Most read in Football
      “I don’t know whether it’s an Arsenal thing or all the fans using their phones.
      “It really slows everything in the area, especially if you are trying to watch the telly.
      “That’s a disappointing thing because we hear the goals before they appear on the TV.”
      George Salisbury, 26, from St Andrews, said: “You kind of have to plan your life around match days because it just gets unbelievably busy.
      “It’s quite entertaining to see all the fans streaming past. However a couple of weeks ago we had a guy who managed to get in and urinate on the premises.
      “You often get drunk people at 3am singing Arsenal chants as well.”
      Nisha Kaddy, 41, who has lived opposite the stadium for three months, said: “My husband and two children are Arsenal fans, but parking in this area is tricky.
      “If we have visitors we have to be really cautious because you can’t park anywhere on matchday. It’s quite loud when a team scores too!”
      Jigar Tharkkar, 29, is a Liverpool fan who has lived with a view of the ground for two years.
      The Google system engineer, originally from India, said: “The views of the stadium are great and I love the vibe here on match days.
      “Plus I got to see the Liverpool v Arsenal match last year. Even when I’m not watching the match I know when there is a goal.
      “There is an issue with light pollution because they have them on all night but we just keep the blinds down.”
      Manchester United supporter Alan Cooper, 65, from Islington, said: “I’m not an Arsenal supporter but I like the match day buzz.
      “If there’s a concert on it’s a bit of a***hole because I’ve got to move the cars or you get a ticket.
      “Sometimes people chuck rubbish onto my balcony. The only time I’ve ever seen any real trouble is with Tottenham fans.
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      “A couple of Spurs supporters were picking up bricks and chucking them.”
      It comes as Premier League challengers Arsenal and Liverpool renew hostilities at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
      George Salisbury, 26, from St Andrews, has a view of the ground from his kitchenCredit: Darren Fletcher
      Manchester United supporter Alan Cooper, 65, from IslingtonCredit: Darren Fletcher
      Dean, 47, is builder and originally from HackneyCredit: Darren Fletcher
      There are several drawbacks living next to the stadiumCredit: Alamy More