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Tottenham’s new stadium will not open until March
updated
Matt Hughes, Deputy Football Correspondent
January 9 2019, 10:30am, The Times
The new stadium will open with a capacity of 62,062Twitter
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Tottenham Hotspur have announced that their new stadium will not open until at least March but the club have still not confirmed when the first match will be.
Spurs’s Premier League home fixtures against Watford on January 30, Newcastle United on February 2, and Leicester City on February 10 will all be played at Wembley. The Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund on February 13 will also take place at the national stadium.
Tottenham are in talks with the contractors, Mace, and Haringey Council to determine when they can hold the formal test events that are required before the club can receive the necessary safety certificates.
Tottenham face Arsenal on March 2 but the visit of Crystal Palace on March 16 is the most likely opening fixture. They are reluctant to stage their first game at the new stadium against Arsenal due to security issues and the possibility of suffering an embarrassing defeat to their north London rivals.
Supporters had initially been told to expect the new stadium to open in September only for delays in the contruction process to force the club into extending their temporary tenancy of Wembley Stadium.
In December it was reported that the delays owed to problems with safety systems at the ground. Since then the club have arranged test events for a limited number of spectators, in order to dry-run the ticketing system.
Mauricio Pochettino, the Spurs manager, said in late November that he and his squad were prepared to be patient over the move, which he hoped would happen by February.
“We need to wish and hope that in January or February we can move there and it will be a fantastic moment for everyone — the supporters, the players, it will be a massive boost,” Pochettino said at the time. “To wait maybe one or two months more, we need to have patience. We are so excited and cannot wait to move.”
updated
Matt Hughes, Deputy Football Correspondent
January 9 2019, 10:30am, The Times
The new stadium will open with a capacity of 62,062Twitter
Share
Save
Tottenham Hotspur have announced that their new stadium will not open until at least March but the club have still not confirmed when the first match will be.
Spurs’s Premier League home fixtures against Watford on January 30, Newcastle United on February 2, and Leicester City on February 10 will all be played at Wembley. The Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund on February 13 will also take place at the national stadium.
Tottenham are in talks with the contractors, Mace, and Haringey Council to determine when they can hold the formal test events that are required before the club can receive the necessary safety certificates.
Tottenham face Arsenal on March 2 but the visit of Crystal Palace on March 16 is the most likely opening fixture. They are reluctant to stage their first game at the new stadium against Arsenal due to security issues and the possibility of suffering an embarrassing defeat to their north London rivals.
Supporters had initially been told to expect the new stadium to open in September only for delays in the contruction process to force the club into extending their temporary tenancy of Wembley Stadium.
In December it was reported that the delays owed to problems with safety systems at the ground. Since then the club have arranged test events for a limited number of spectators, in order to dry-run the ticketing system.
Mauricio Pochettino, the Spurs manager, said in late November that he and his squad were prepared to be patient over the move, which he hoped would happen by February.
“We need to wish and hope that in January or February we can move there and it will be a fantastic moment for everyone — the supporters, the players, it will be a massive boost,” Pochettino said at the time. “To wait maybe one or two months more, we need to have patience. We are so excited and cannot wait to move.”