Premier League: Spurs ‘nightmare’ over new stadium delays
‘Critical safety system’ issues mean the games against Liverpool and Cardiff will be played at Wembley
Tottenham’s dream of a spanking new White Hart Lane has turned into a “nightmare”, according to The Sun, with club chairman Daniel Levy reportedly “livid” at the turn of events.
Having spent last season squatting at Wembley while the Lane underwent an £800m makeover, Tottenham had been scheduled to play their first match at the 62,000-seater stadium on 15 September, against Liverpool in a match to be screened live on Sky Sports.
But The Times predicts that Tottenham fans may not be able return to White Hart Lane until as late as November.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Back to Wembley
Levy broke the news last night in a statement. “Recent testing and commissioning has now shown issues with the critical safety systems,” the club said.
“Our Premier League matches against Liverpool [15 September] and Cardiff City [6 October] will be switched to Wembley, as will the NFL match scheduled for 14 October. The test events will need to be rescheduled to take place before any first official match at the new stadium in order to achieve the safety licence.”
Levy had agreed a contingency plan with the Football Association in the event that the stadium was not completed on time, says The Times. Under that deal, Tottenham could continue playing their home matches at Wembley until the end of the calendar year.
That will cost the club yet more money, to the fury of Levy, who must also talk to Uefa about relocating their Champions League group games to Wembley.
Builders ‘too busy sunbathing’
Photographs published in The Sun show a stadium “months away” from completion. “More than 15,000 seats have yet to be installed after a summer of chaos,” while the premium lounges and executive boxes are “piled high with materials and building equipment”, says the newspaper.
A club insider pointed the finger of blame at builders, alleging that many have been off enjoying the summer heatwave when they should have been working.
“Levy would have preferred them all to apply themselves that little bit harder,” says The Sun, adding that builders had also installed the wrong seats in June. “Levy puts in furious phone calls and thrashes away at his laptop, sending irate emails about the lack of progress.”
The Spurs chairman has asked fans to be understanding about the delays, saying: “At the start of the project we asked for your support during what we knew would be a complex and challenging build and now we ask for your continued patience and forbearance.”
Under pressure
The Times says the chairman “will be under pressure” to refund those season ticket-holders who don’t wish to go to Wembley for the matches against Liverpool and Cardiff.
He will also be feeling the heat from the NFL, with whom he recently signed a ten-year deal to stage American football matches on the Lane’s retractable artificial surface.
The embarrassment at having to call off the clash between the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders in October would be acute, particularly as the NFL contributed £10m towards the stadium’s construction.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The mental health crisis affecting vets
Under The Radar Death of Hampshire vet highlights mental health issues plaguing the industry
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Onion is having a very ironic laugh with Infowars
The Explainer The satirical newspaper is purchasing the controversial website out of bankruptcy
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Rahmbo, back from Japan, will be looking for a job? Really?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham after ‘extraordinary’ rant at players
feature After another year without a trophy, Spurs are now searching for a new manager
By The Week Staff Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City’s financial charges: what next for the Premier League champions?
feature The club is alleged to have breached financial rules around 100 times over a nine-year period
By Mike Starling Published