“A crime against the city” - Birmingham City chief Tom Wagner sends clear warning to local government | OneFootball

Tom Wagner has described the potential rejection of Birmingham's plan to build a 'Sports Quarter' as a 'crime against the city'.

Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner believes that not being able to proceed with the construction of the club's new stadium and Sports Quarter would be a "crime against the city."

As Blues prepare to be presented with the League One trophy following their final home game of the campaign against Mansfield Town on Sunday, Birmingham’s co-owner and chairman Tom Wagner has sent a warning with regards to their proposed plan to build the ‘Sports Quarter’.

The Sports Quarter is a £3 billion development project that will feature a new 60,000-seater stadium at the heart of it, but it requires local government approval before the project can proceed.

Birmingham City owner Tom Wagner says construction of stadium and Sports Quarter must go ahead

Discussing the plans in an interview with The Times, Blues chairman Wagner was adamant that it must be built, and has admitted that his ambitions, and therefore the ambitions of Birmingham’s ownership, always centred around the proposed development:

“We’re dropping that investment into the middle of one of the most deprived areas in the country. I think there’s a moral imperative to invest into an area like that and to have an opportunity such as the one I just described and not pursue it would be a crime against the city of Birmingham.

“The plan was always about the Sports Quarter, because without creating that physical manifestation of the club we would never be able to be highly competitive at the top of English football.

"A lot of people say you can build that when you get there. I would argue that you can’t get there without building it. Maybe I’m too Americanised and have this fanciful view that this is like Field of Dreams, the American baseball movie, where you build it and they will come. But I believe it’s right.”

He has warned that without new transport links costing between £200 million - £300 million to get to and from the site, that will also feature a new academy and training ground as well as residential, retail, entertainment and office space; the project cannot succeed: “Without that it would be impossible for us to proceed — we can’t build something that no one can get to.”

Wagner, who is the co-founder and co-CEO of Knighthead Capital Management, is adamant that a new stadium is required in order to maximise the potential of the club and the city.

“Sport is a unifying force. As real-world interpersonal connections fade and the world digitises, where are people going to turn for enjoyment? I think sport will be at the top of the list. The stadium is the physical manifestation of people seeking that analogue experience. The bigger and more special the cathedral to worship the god of football, the better the experience.

"We were presented with an opportunity to build a stadium with accommodation, office space and, most importantly, a training ground for the men’s and women’s first teams and the entire academy, in one place inside the city limits. That is an extraordinary opportunity.

“By building all of those critical elements of the club one kilometre from the centre of the city, it becomes embedded into the community of Birmingham.”

Birmingham’s ambition on the pitch has been shown in the last season and Wagner is keen to reflect their on-pitch success off-the-field, too, to try and make Birmingham the centre of football in the country.

“The ultimate objective? We want to steal the mantle of great football away from Manchester and bring it to Birmingham, which is where I think it belongs,” Wagner continued.

Whilst acknowledging the rivalry and genuine hatred between both Birmingham City and Aston Villa, he has said he wants that rivalry to continue with the success of the Blues’ arch-rivals and has discussed his excitement at them one day facing each other.

“I love the animosity between the clubs. I love the competitive fire and that great history. But I love what Birmingham represents and what the Midlands represent even more.

"I cannot wait. It’ll be the happiest day of my life, irrespective of the outcome. Because I think it would bring something great to both sets of fans. Yes, sing a song to me and say I hate Villa, and of course, I will on matchday.

"But I also want Villa to be successful in the interim, so that we have something lofty to shoot for. We want them to be great. We want to be great.”

Birmingham have closed the gap to their rivals by a division but still have work to do with the Villains preparing for an FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium this weekend, whilst also challenging for the top five and the UEFA Champions League qualifying spots in the Premier League.