Nottingham Forest Football Club (NFFC) has called for co-operation from local authorities over plans for the development of a new stadium as part of the city's 2018 World Cup bid.

Proposals for the £100m venue at Gamston were unveiled earlier this month in order to replace the existing City Ground venue, which the club argues will not be able to be redeveloped to meet FIFA requirements for World Cup fixtures. In addition to being included as an integral part of Nottingham's attempts to beat off competition from 16 other English cities seeking Host City Status at the 2018 World Cup, it is hoped that the new stadium will help form a 'sporting legacy' in the Holme Pierrepont area.

However, a statement from the club has reacted with disappointment after it was accused by Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) leader Kay Cutts of acting like a "centre forward prima donna" in announcing its plans on 7 September. NFFC chief executive Mark Arthur said: "From the recent comments that Kay Cutts, leader of the county council, has made in the media, and from the dogmatic approach she took in a meeting that was held last Friday [11 September], it seems evident that she is totally against the entire project.

"It is clear to us all that councillor Cutts, who has only recently come to power, has no interest in football and the fact that she continues to ignore the evidence about the non-compliance of the City Ground is just an inconvenient truth." According to the club, NCC only owns a small portion of land on which the new stadium would be built, and that due planning and consultation processes would be followed as part of any efforts to move the proposals forward in partnership with the council, Nottingham City Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council.

Meanwhile, city council leader Jon Collins told the BBC that bid stakeholders will need to co-operate in order to ensure Nottingham's bid succeeds. Collins said: "It became very clear that the FA would not support any bid which included the redevelopment of the City Ground because it wouldn't be compliant [with FIFA regulations] but it would support Gamston.

"The bid has been a partnership bid and to maximise all chances of it being successful, we need all the partners to be a part of it." Image: Benoy