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Tottenham's move to new stadium delayed

Premier League: After hitting an obstacle late in the construction of their new stadium, Tottenham look set to stay at Wembley at least until November.

By Opta
Wembley Stadium serves as Tottenhams temporary home

London, August 14: Tottenham's move into their new stadium at White Hart Lane has been pushed back to late October at the earliest after encountering "issues with the critical safety systems", the club has confirmed.

Spurs had initially planned to play at the new ground for the first time on September 15 against Liverpool, an announcement made after the release of the 2018-19 Premier League fixtures.

But reports began to swirl on Monday claiming Spurs had been forced to delay their move, meaning a return to Wembley was likely.

And the club eventually confirmed that, after recent tests carried out on the stadium, they have had to review the situation and accept a later move.

Therefore, their home Premier League matches against Liverpool and Cardiff City – the latter on October 6 – will have to be played at Wembley.

Explaining the delay, Spurs said: "Delays are common, certainly for builds of this size and complexity, however we are hugely frustrated that this has occurred with these systems at such a late stage.

"Whilst we would have been able to mitigate other areas, we simply cannot compromise safety. This decision was unavoidable.

"We should also like to clarify the correct context of the news that broke yesterday regarding arrangements with Wembley. The option was in fact exercised at the end of last year - and not in response to this issue - as a sensible back-up given the nature of construction and the possibility of exactly such an issue arising.

"Last night's announcement was brought forward from today in order to advise fans as soon as possible given the confusion caused and the news of the board meeting becoming public. As such we were unable to release details of refunds and ticketing at the same time as planned.

"We should like to apologise to supporters for this delay. We are acutely aware of the disappointment this may cause supporters and shall now look to ensure that we minimise any inconvenience.

"Our construction team is working hard to overcome these issues and we shall keep you all updated. Thank you for your support at this challenging time."

The NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks set for October 14 will also have to be played at the 90,000 capacity arena.

Spurs played all of their home games at England's national stadium last term, as their new stadium was built at the location of their previous White Hart Lane home.

They remain hopeful of being able to host Manchester City in their new home on October 28, but cannot confirm yet where that match will be played.

Story first published: Tuesday, August 14, 2018, 17:33 [IST]
Other articles published on Aug 14, 2018