Tottenhams New stadium Not Ready Until at Least March- Daniel Levy
Tottenham
say their new stadium will not be ready to host matches until at least March.
Spurs were
originally scheduled to move into the new White Hart Lane stadium in September
but the project has suffered construction delays.
The club
took their latest decision after an update from contractors.
"I
should like to apologise to our fans and thank you for your continued
patience," said Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
The new
ground, which will also host NFL games, has a capacity of 62,062 and is located
on the site of their old White Hart Lane home.
In December,
several thousand season ticket-holders were allowed to explore the South Stand
during a fan familiarisation event.
"The
response from those who attended the familiarisation event was great to hear
and reinforced our commitment to deliver an exceptional matchday experience for
everyone," added Levy.
"We
shall now seek clarity in respect of building test schedules and test event
dates and provide further information on these in the next two to three
weeks."
Tottenham,
who host Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday in the Premier League,
said in a statement that top-flight matches against Watford,
Newcastle and Leicester would also be held at the national stadium.
Additionally,
the home leg of their last-16 Champions League tie with Borussia Dortmund and
any FA Cup fifth-round fixture, if they reach that stage, will also take place
at Wembley.
Their next
home game after that would be a Premier League game against north London rivals
Arsenal on 2 March, but it is considered highly unlikely police or safety
advisory groups would want that to be the first game at a new ground.
That would
mean the game against Crystal Palace on 16 March could be Tottenham's first at
their new home.
If Tottenham
beat Dortmund to reach the last eight of the Champions League, the home leg of
that tie would also take place in April.
"Uefa
will remain in close contact with Tottenham Hotspur to assess the possibility
of the club hosting Uefa competition matches in their new stadium this
season," said European football's governing body.
Meanwhile,
Brent Council will decide on 16 January on the request to increase the capacity
from 51,000 to 62,000 for Spurs' matches at Wembley.
FROM .bbc.com/sport/football/
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