Spurs blow as RFU say Twickenham isn’t for hire

TOTTENHAM suffered a setback yesterday in their search for a venue to host their Premier League match against Manchester City when the RFU ruled out the fixture being staged at Twickenham. It is feared the new White Hart Lane will not be ready to welcome the champions on October 28 and Tottenham’s temporary home Wembley is booked on that date for an American football match between Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars. Safety issues at the new Spurs ground have already prompted the club to switch matches against Liverpool (September 15) and Cardiff (October 6) to the national football stadium. And Twickenham was seen as a candidate to take the City game, only for it to emerge yesterday that the RFU will reject any such proposal by Spurs. It is believed rugby union’s governing body do not want their showpiece venue being used for football. The pressure is now growing on Tottenham, City and the Premier League to agree an alternative date for the match. Indeed, Tottenham are thought to be pushing for a postponement, having deferred the opening of their £850million ground. The likeliest outcome is for a different date to be agreed when Wembley is available. It is unlikely the Premier League would sanction reversing the clubs’ fixtures, with next month’s match played at the Etihad Stadium and City visiting North London in April. That would mean City playing four of their last five Premier League games away from home, something they want to avoid.