Wagatha Christie: Jamie Vardy's Leicester play Birmingham after Wayne Rooney becomes manager in Wagatha Derby

Football fans are preparing for what they have dubbed ‘Wagatha Christie’ part 2 as Birmingham City, which Wayne Rooney manages, will go head to head with Leicester City, which Jamie Vardy captains.

Some have also labelled the match ‘the Rebekah Vardy Derby' as it brings together her husband against Coleen Rooney’s husband. The fellow WAGS had a now infamous falling out in 2019 over the leaking of stories about Rooney to the press, which ended with a high court battle in 2022.

The judge found in favour of Rooney, who had accused Vardy of being behind the leaked stories, although Vardy denied this. Rooney, who has been married to newly-appointed  Birmingham city manager Wayne Rooney for 15 years, was dubbed “Wagatha Christie”, referring to the popular mystery writer, for her campaign against Rebekah, who wed Jamie seven years ago.

Although it's not confirmed if Coleen and Rebekah will be in attendance at the game, fans are speculating as to whether they will each go to support their spouse, and if so if they'll meet again. 

The announcement of Rooney’s appointment, which came earlier this week, comes just before the release of Coleen Rooney’s three-part documentary ‘Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story’ which will be released on Wednesday 18 October. So, when exactly is the football game between Leicester and Birmingham, and how have fans reacted to it? Here’s what you need to know.

When will the Wagatha derby take place?

The match will be played at 3pm on Saturday 16 December at St. Andrew's Stadium, which has been been the home ground of Birmingham City Football Club for more than a century.

Can I watch the Wagatha Derby?

The match will not be televised due to broadcasting rules. Saturday 3pm kick-offs have been banned from being televised in the UK since the 1960s, in something called the football blackout. 

Under this rule, no Premier League, Football League or FA Cup matches can be broadcast on live television on a Saturday between 2:45pm and 5:15pm. Games may be played on that day and on that time, but they just cannot be shown on TV. It was imposed to stop people from not attending lower league games in order to stay at home to watch the big league games.

Fans will still be able to turn to football programmes, such as Sky’s Soccer Saturday and BBC’s Match of the Day, however, to get game highlights.

What have fans said about the Wagatha Derby?

Football fans took to X to share their excitement about the impending game, with one person declaring that it could go down in history. One person wrote: “December 16th, 3pm. The Rebekah Vardy Derby. We will be there.”  Another wrote: 'Saturday 16th of December, Rooney Vs Vardy also known as the Rebekah Vardy Derby. This has potential to be football heritage.”

Someone else wrote: “Can’t wait for the Rebekah Vardy Derby.” A fourth added: “Leicester City V Birmingham just got a lot more interesting.”