Birmingham World Cup TV plan scrapped

Plans to show World Cup matches on a big screen in Birmingham city centre have been scrapped on police advice, it was announced today.

Birmingham City Council will not screen any games including England fixtures on the £1 million giant television in Victoria Square "in light of national police advice."

It had previously been hoped Victoria Square would be turned into a fan park for the tournament after positive negotiations with officers in Birmingham. But the city will now go without a public World Cup screening event.

Other potential fan park sites including Millennium Point and Centenary Square had already been ruled out. The announcement comes as council chiefs revealed a big screen at The Public in West Bromwich will now be put up inside the venue.