Questions raised over whether £3.8m government grant awarded to Wrexham AFC was lawful

Wrexham AFC – co-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds (right) and Rob Mac – said that the funding ensured that the team’s Racecourse Ground ‘can be brought up to the required standard to host international sporting events, including international football and rugby matches’. Photograph: PA Images/Alamy

Wrexham AFC, the football club part-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, was given a £3.8m government grant without a contract or a finished state aid assessment in place, raising questions over whether the award was lawful.

The club has received £18m in taxpayer-funded grants – far more than any other in the UK – to help to redevelop its stadium, the Racecourse Ground (Y Cae Ras in Welsh).