Not everyone, it has to be admitted, loves Manchester. Feelings are running high in Preston about a proposed move of the National Football Museum from Preston North End’s Deepdale ground, where it opened in 2001, to Manchester’s Urbis centre. The museum where you can see the ball from the 1966 World Cup final, Diego Maradona’s shirt from the “hand of god” game and watch the Busby Babes’ last match before the Munich disaster, is admired. But, being located in Preston, it gets only 100,000 visitors a year. Manchester city council believes it can quadruple that. It feels bruised, though, at being cast as the villain, since its bid was made after an approach from the museum’s trustees, who feared a funding crisis.

The plan has set off a storm in central Lancashire, where councils have made a counter-bid to keep the attraction in Preston. Thousands have signed an online Downing Street petition and Sir Tom Finney, the legendary Preston and England footballer, says he will remove his memorabilia if the museum goes.