Kane’s ‘Anfield of south’ hit by another delay
TOTTENHAM’S home fixture against Manchester United next month will take place at Wembley after yet another delay in the completion of their new stadium.
The grand opening of the new 62,000-seater ground on the site of White Hart Lane was scheduled for the start of the season in August, but a series of delays meant it was pushed back until at least January.
Spurs were hopeful of moving into their new venue in time for their league clash against United on January 13. However, testing has not yet been completed for the club to apply for a stadium safety certificate, so it may not be until February that Spurs can move in.
“We are acutely conscious that we are asking fans to go to Wembley for far longer than any of us wanted to. However we are now seeing the progress that we needed to see,” said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
“What I don’t want to do is set any firm dates until we have finally achieved a safety certificate. So many people tell me to look at other major schemes that run late and, while I know it happens often, we are still hugely frustrated.”
Spurs do have an option of playing all their remaining home games of the season at Wembley as a contingency. However, many supporters have grown tired of travelling to the national stadium and Spurs recorded their lowest attendance for a Premier League game there, 33,012, against Southampton last week.
Tottenham say they will receive a status report from their contractors in the week commencing January 7 and will update fans after that.
The latest news on the stadium comes after Spurs reached the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 1-1 draw at Barcelona.
And captain Harry Kane says they are hoping to turn the new ground – if it is ready by the time the knockout stages begin in February – into the Anfield of the south to become genuine European contenders.
Tottenham captain Kane believes Spurs fans can make the new White Hart Lane a cauldron and emulate the special atmosphere at Liverpool, saying: “It would be incredible, something special – Champions League games in the new stadium.
“We’ve got to try to create that atmosphere, everyone knows Anfield has been fantastic for Liverpool.
“They have pulled out some great comebacks and results there and I’m sure that’s what we’re going to have to do to progress in this competition.”